Seven Devils
by wauwabee
Summary: Two years after the Avengers first assembled, the world is in peril again. Agent Vanessa Brown of SHIELD and Loki are reluctantly pulled into the battle. Bonds are formed, friendships are tested, and secrets are exposed. There is even a question as to wether the Avengers can bond together again. And no one is safe. Loki/OC.
1. Spectrum

Okay, so first of all, Thanks for giving this story a look! Also, I own nothing; save for my OC. Everything else belongs to Marvel. Lastly, I'm basing this story off what we've seen in the Marvel movies, not so much the comics. And I will be putting my own twist onto things. But I hope you enjoy! The title for this story comes from the Florence + The Machine song, "Seven Devils".

**Seven Devils**

**Chapter One**

**Spectrum**

_Athens, Greece_

_Even in Athens, the streets were in chaos. News of what was going on in New York City was being broadcasted on every station, and it seemed that the world was nearing its end. Everywhere there were women weeping, men praying and children crying. _

_None of that mattered. Vanessa Brown didn't care about the fact that she had completely abandoned her post. Her cover would most likely be compromised, if not completely blown. She ran through the streets of Athens, turning down dark alleys until she made it to her flat. Her sandals slapped against the cobblestones and then against the floor as she raced up to her room. Vanessa fumbled with the keys for a moment before she was able to slide the appropriate one into the lock. With a click, she was in._

_Vanessa frantically flipped on the TV and sure enough, frottage from the invasion in New York was unfolding before her. She caught a flash of green from the Hulk before dashing to her room, in search of the phone she kept safely hidden at all times. Had anyone gotten their hands on that phone, the entire mission would've been blown ages ago. Once she had her hands on it, Vanessa unlocked the phone entering a series of passcodes until she had access to her contact list. She found the name she wanted and immediately hit the call button, pacing frantically. No answer._

"_God damn it, Phil!" she shouted in frustration. "What the hell is happening? Call me back when you can." Vanessa hung up and sat herself down in front of the TV, wringing her hands._

_Her hometown was under fire, and Vanessa was stuck, deep under cover in Greece. She waited in vain for the call from her mentor, Phil Coulson, unaware that hours before, the god who had help orchestrate the madness had killed him. She was kept in the dark until almost a day after New York had been taken back by the Avengers. Her phone rang again, and Vanessa jumped before looking at who was calling. _

_Director Fury. Not Phil._

"_Director," she answered, trying to sound collected._

"_Agent Brown," came Fury's voice. "We're going to need you to come in. Abandon your post, we're sending in someone else to take your place."_

"_Director, what—?"_

"_Everything will be explained to you in full when you land on American soil. But we need you back here as soon as possible. Leave no trace of yourself behind."_

_There was a click and the line went dead. _

_Life as a spy had taught Vanessa to live on as little as possible and how to pack everything she owned in an hour. She wiped the place so nobody could pick up any DNA, then hacked her landlord's computer and deleted any and all files that contained anything to do with Vanessa. _

_Then, she was gone. _

_When she landed in New York, hours later, Vanessa was greeted with the news of Phil's death._

**Two Years Later-London, England. MI6 Headquarters.**

She pulled out her ID badge and gave it a swipe. The light flashed green and Vanessa yanked open the underground door and rushed inside MI6. The door slammed shut and Vanessa leaned against the wall, gasping for air. Right now, headquarters were the only safe place for her. At least, not until she shed her cover.

Picking herself up, Vanessa started walking down the dimly lit hallway in search of a bathroom, a black rucksack slung over one shoulder. After five minutes of walking, Vanessa turned a corner and found one. She eagerly stepped inside and was startled by her reflection in the mirror.

After a year and a half of doing deep undercover work for SHIELD in England, Vanessa still hadn't gotten used to her appearance. One of her specialties was to alter her appearance in subtle ways that made her unrecognizable. But Vanessa had been working in Downing Street, with the Prime Minister and she had been required to change more about herself.

She wore colored contacts that changed her hazel eyes to a very piercing blue, sewn into her head was a very, very black wig that looked almost blue, with bangs. She wore bright red lipstick and hidden expertly under makeup was a nosepiece. Her real nose was more on the button side but the one she had taken on was sharper. She looked exotic.

Her clothes were singed and blackened, there was blood running down Vanessa's right ankle. About an hour ago, a few blocks from Downing Street, a bomb had gone off. Vanessa was luck to escape from it, relatively undamaged. The only thing she left behind was her ID badge with her cover name, Elizabeth Horsley, on it, in hopes that t might be recovered and her cover thought dead. Then she had ran. There were few in MI6 who knew the nature of Vanessa's case and now it was the only place she could go.

A week ago the Prime Minister was found dead. Apparently, he had hung himself. Vanessa's mission had been to work as the Prime Minister's secretary. She was to find out all he had known about contact with alien life. And kill him, if need be. SHIELD was very concerned with anyone getting their hands on anything extra terrestrial since the "Incident" two years ago and the new Prime Minister had been a cause for worry.

But there was more to the story. Vanessa had a feeling that the dead Prime Minister hadn't really killed himself. Someone else must have and painted it to look like a suicide. But Vanessa hadn't seen any evidence to prove her theory. Sewn into her bra were two flash drives. One contained everything the Prime Minister had on extra terrestrial tech and in other, contained frottage from the areas in and around his office. She hadn't been able to look at either yet. But she was guarding them with her life, until someone from SHIELD came to get her.

"Best get to work, Brown," Vanessa muttered to herself.

She began cleaning out her cut on her ankle, picking out shards of glass and moping up the blood. Once it was clean, she wrapped it up in the bandages provided in the bathroom. Then she stood up and started pulling out things from her rucksack, scissors, makeup remover, contact lens case, and fresh clothes. Vanessa popped out her blue contacts and put fresh, clear ones in, reveling her hazel eyes. The she started wiping away the makeup. Bit by bit, the real Vanessa Brown started to show. Her cheekbones became not as defined, her lips from vivid red to a lovely, much softer shade. Her freckles on her nose came out. Next, Vanessa picked up the scissors and started cutting off the wig. The work was slow and painstaking, but finally it came off her head. Vanessa removed the cap that had been hiding her chestnut colored hair for so long. She shook it free and her hair fell just below her breasts.

Finally, Vanessa stripped off her office clothes and put everything that had to do with Elizabeth Horsley and threw them into the trash where it was all incinerated. She then changed into a fresh pair of dark jeans, a blue V-neck shirt and black boots. Under her shirt she strapped on a belt that carried a gun and a machete. Vanessa picked up her rucksack and exited the bathroom. She needed to get to the most secure part of the building so she could attempt to make contact with SHIELD. They needed to know that she was still very much alive.

As she walked deeper into MI6 Vanessa began to feel uneasy. _"Always, above all else, trust your instincts." _That's what Phil had told Vanessa during all those years of training. And her instincts had never been wrong. They were telling Vanessa that she was being watched. But they were making an effort to go undetected. So, Vanessa carried on her pace, pretending to be ignorant of the fact that she was being watched. But she kept her guard up.

Finally, her stalker made a heavy footfall, confirming Vanessa's suspicion. She still feigned ignorance, but she was readying her strike. When her stalker was almost upon her, Vanessa whipped around, swinging her leg up and kicked her attacker, a woman, in the head. Instantly, the fight broke out. There were hits, grunts of pain, and kicks. Bother were trained assassins, clearly. Vanessa was fighting for the upper hand, trying to get a good look at the woman who had been following her.

Finally, Vanessa was free to grab her gun. She yanked it off the belt and hit the woman in the head with it. She fell to the ground with a grunt of pain. Vanessa put a foot on the woman's chest, removed the safety on the gun and pointed it at the woman's head.

"Jesus, Brown!" the woman panted. Vanessa knew that voice, but she didn't lower her gun.

"Agent Romanoff," she said curtly. "You should know better than to sneak up on a spy."

"Didn't recognize you," Natasha panted. "Haven't seen you in two years. But thank God I found you."

"What is it?" Vanessa put the safety back on and secured her gun back into her belt, then she stepped off the Black Widow.

"Making the Prime Minister's death look like a suicide was a bold move. Fury wants to know everything you found out."

"I didn't kill him. Either Tudor killed himself or someone else did." Vanessa helped Natasha to her feet and started walking again. "I've been off the grid as much as possible stealing everything the Prime Minister had on alien tech before Scotland Yard came fishing. They started catching on though. Lucky the bomb went off. Elizabeth Horsley is dead."

Natasha nodded and the two agents traveled deeper into MI6 until they found a secure office. Vanessa swiped her card and entered the room. She then began picking at the thread in her bra until the two flash drives came loose. She flipped the switch on the computer and waited as it booted up.

"The E.T. stuff is going directly to Fury. But I want to take a look at the security cameras."

She stuck the flash drive with the footage on into the slot and started sifting through everything as Natasha made contact with SHIELD.

"This is Agent Romanoff. Put Director Fury on the line. Yes, Director, I've got her. She had the files. We'll be on our way back as soon as possible. Her cover is dead. Yes, I'll tell her. Goodbye." Natasha hung up the phone and went to sit on the computer desk. "Fury want's a detailed report when we land."

"I already sent him my report. It's in code, so no one but him can read it."

"Codes can be broken."

"I invented it myself. Fury doesn't even know all of it. He should have fun cracking it though."

"Why do you enjoy making the Director's life as difficult as possible?"

"I am allowed few pleasures in life, Agent Romanoff, thanks to him. I can respect him, but I don't have to like him. Director Fury took the closet thing I ever had to a father from me." Vanessa said all this in a flat voice, her eyes never leaving the computer screen.

"Loki killed Agent Coulson, not Fury," Natasha said gently.

"Fury as good as killed him. He mad no real effort to save Phil. He used Phil as a pawn in the Avengers Initiative the same way he used you, Barton, Banner, Stark, and Rodgers. It didn't matter who died."

"So you're holding Fury accountable even though Loki is the one who murdered Coulson in cold blood."

"I blame both of them." Said Vanessa curtly. "But Loki is more like you and I. He kills, he lies, he cheats and he steals. And he was working for a much stronger force. The only difference between us and Loki is that he picked the losing side and killed the wrong person. I'm sure Asgard is punishing him appropriately for his crimes. So I'm fine with not thinking about him."

"But what about what—"

Vanessa held up a hand to silence Natasha. Mouth agape she rewound the final footage the camera in the Prime Minister's office had picked up. A half hour before his death. A dark, imposing figure appeared in the office, then the camera turned to static. But there was no mistaking what Vanessa saw, and it sent chills down her spine.

"…What is it?" Natasha asked.

"Call Fury. Have him bring Jane Foster and Erik Selvig in. This is bigger than I thought."

**Asgard-Dungeons**

It was impossible for Loki to figure out time in his god-forsaken prison cell. Upon his return to Asgard, he had been sentenced and stripped of his magic. Here, in prison, Loki was unable to talk.

His only visitors were Thor and occasionally Frigga. They would talk to him, but as Loki had lost all powers of speech, it was always one-sided. So mostly, Loki was trapped in silence and his own mind. There were times when he felt on the brink of madness. Then, someone would slide food through a slot or Thor would come down for a visit, however brief.

But his imprisonment had left Loki to his own thoughts. He was left to think over some of his actions. Did he regret his choice to join with the Chitari, yes? But Loki was still angry. Not once had Odin ever paid him a visit. The Allfather hadn't even graced Loki with a look during his sentencing.

It was so lonely and infuriating sitting in the cell all day, every day. More often than not, Loki wished that someone would come down and slay him. Surly death would be better than this prison?

He lay on his back, staring up at the white ceiling, trying in vain to summon some bit of magic. But nothing stirred inside of Loki. His attempts at magic were useless, but what else did Loki have to do with his time? Reaching a new level of crazy, Loki lifted on arm then slowly let it drop to the ground. He repeated the action for hours while singing some tragically awful song in his head that he had picked up on Midgard.

"Brother, are you listing to me at all?"

Loki stopped dropping his hand and turned his head in the direction of Thor's voice. He raised his eyebrows, surprised to see him. The door to Loki's prison was wide open behind the god of thunder and Thor was standing in the doorway, arms crossed, looking annoyed. Loki turned back to looking at the ceiling, not wanting to deal with his brother at the moment.

"Now is not the time for games, Loki. Get up," Thor said impatiently. "If you want to continue sitting in this cell fine."

Thor made to leave, but Loki stood up quickly. Was he really being allowed to leave? He looked at Thor, puzzled. His brother responded for something that could almost pass for a smile and gestured to the door. Loki walked hesitantly out the door. How long had it been since he had seen the outside of his cell? There was a sort of whooshing that went through Loki, making him sputter and cough. He gasped and held the wall. Loki's voice had been returned to him.

"Were are we going?" he asked, voice raspy from lack of use.

"To Midgard, brother."

Loke felt a tremor of fear run through him. "I have no desire to go into the useless realm."

"You do not really have a choice."

"Am I going there to continue punishment for my crimes?"

"No, you've more than served your time," Thor shook his head. He looked troubled.

"What is it that has you so worried?"

Thor and Loki continued their trek upwards towards the outside, to fresh air. Thor was silent for several minutes, a sort of frown on his face, as thought he didn't really know for sure what was going on.

"Heimdall saw something on Midgard that troubles him, concerning Jane and my other friends down there. He suggested I go down and see if there is anyway I can help."

"So why am I going?"

"You need to make amends, Loki."

Loki let out a bark of laughter. "I do not see how that is possible, Thor. It is an impossible dream."

"Nothing is impossible. Jane is willing to give you a chance."

"I don't even know that woman. What should I care if she wants to get friendly with me?" Thor gave Loki an annoyed look, but said nothing. "Wait." Loki threw an arm out. "We're not going to see the Allfather?"

"I have already seen him," Thor responded stiffly. "It is to the Bifrost we're going."

"The Bifrost?"

"Do you not remember me telling you that it had been repaired?"

"I have learned to tune you out when I do not want to deal with you. I must not have been listening when you delivered that bit of news."

If Thor was offended, he did not show it. Instead he rolled his eyes at Loki and pounded him on the back. As they made their way to the Bifrost, Loki tried his best to ignore the angry looks cast his way by the Asgardians. Instead, he tried to appreciate being outside for the first time in ages. And he tried to keep his anger at bay.

So, his father still would not even grace Loki with a meeting? Even after his imprisonment, the Allfather could not bear to look at the monster he had stolen and raised.

_It does not matter. He never cared for you, Loki. Put Odin out of your head. You have bigger issues facing you on Midgard._

This was true. Loki had not forgotten the conversation he had with Tony Stark. He had made a lot of people angry. And he had killed a very valuable agent. What was his name, Phil? He had not even really meant to do it? One moment he was trying to escape and then he was angry, so angry. Without really even thinking about it, Loki had killed a man. He had killed many men during his time on Midgard. He had hurt so many people. And for what? The throne of a realm he did not even care much for? It had been a pointless dream with such drastic results. No, the trip to Midgard would not be one that was enjoyable in the slightest.

**SHIELD Headquarters-New York, New York**

Thor and Jane Foster were walking on either side of Loki, escorting him inside the impressive building. Since returning to Midgard, Loki was slowly regaining his magic. He could feel it stirring inside of him. It had made him want to flee, but Thor seemed to have sensed that, and was keeping an eye on his little brother.

As they entered SHIELD most people didn't even glance twice at the trio. But two people in a glass conference room directly in front of Loki froze. One was the scientist Loki had taken control of the last time he was here. The other was a woman he had never seen before with long brown hair. They had papers spread out on a table and had obviously been peering at them intently. That is, until two demi-gods casually walked in.

The woman grabbed a black object off the table and spoke into it. She then slipped it at her side and exited the conference room. She walked directly to Loki, Thor and Jane, stopping any sort of emotion from coming across her face. She was beautiful, not very tall, but she possessed very long, toned legs. Her was a kind one and she carried herself like a god. Or, perhaps, like a spy.

"Ms. Foster, good to have you back," the woman's tone was light.

"Agent Brown," Jane replied. So she was a spy. "Have you made any progress on the files and frottage?"

"Unfortunately not."

"Couldn't you make a trip back to London and see if you can gather any more information?"

"Well I could, but my cover is supposed to be dead. I would raise too many red flags going in as myself. I'm positive I got everything though. I know how to do my job."

"Agent Brown, you needed assistance?" a voice rang out across the hall. Loki found the face that belonged to the voice and swallowed. It was not someone he was eager to see, ever.

"Yes, Doctor Banner, could you please join Selvig in the conference room? I will be back with you shortly."

"Yes—" Banner caught sight of Thor and Loki. He froze before clenching his fists and rushing into the room.

"Excellent," the woman, Agent Brown, turned to face the trio. "Now, if you'll—"

"What the hell is he doing here?" a voice roared. Everyone in the area jumped, alarmed. Loki barley had time to react to the arrow soaring through the air straight towards him.

**Author's Note**

**So that's the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! : )**

**Pretty please leave a review? It would be very much appreciated!**

**Cheers, lovelies!**


	2. Bedroom Hymns

Okay, first of all, wow. I'm really surprised and flattered by how many of you have subscribed for alerts on this story and even have it listed as a favorite. That is seriously a huge honor, especially this early on with so many other amazing Avengers fics out there. You guys are awesome and I want to hug you all! So, with out further ado: I present to you, chapter two! Enjoy, loves!

**Bedroom Hymns**

**SHIELD Headquarters-New York, New York**

"Damn it, Barton!" Vanessa yelped as she, Jane, Thor and Loki all ducked to avoid the arrow. She whipped a Taser out of her boot and pointed it directly at the Hawkeye. "Stand down, Bart!"

The two agents surveyed each other warily. Clint had another arrow ready to fly, pointing over Vanessa's shoulder at Loki. Vanessa stood ready to tase should Barton so much as flinch.

"I know you don't care for me much, Brown," Barton said evenly, "but I didn't expect you to protect the monster that killed Coulson."

"I'm not taking anyone's side. I want to know why two demi-gods are casually walking into SHIELD as much as you do. What are you doing here, anyway?" She added.

"I have come to help you in any way I can," Thor spoke up.

"And what is _he_ doing here?" Barton snarled.

"Loki has come to make amends."

Clint gave a very harsh laugh. "He should be locked up for what he's done."

Clint was staring at Thor and Loki so lividly it scared even Vanessa. She took advantage of his focus on Loki though and made a leap to her co-worker. Vanessa made a swift grab for Clit's arms and yanked them upwards as he let his arrow go. Instead of hitting his desired target, Loki, the arrow hit a light up above sending glass flying everywhere.

Vanessa yanked Clint's bow out of his hands and threw it away randomly, out of his reach. Any time Vanessa and Clint ever fought each other (usually, in training) Vanessa always had the advantage. Clint was better at fighting at a distance, Vanessa was trained for close combat. She could easily turn a seemingly harmless object into a very lethal weapon. Vanessa's legs were longer and she was quicker on her feet, but Clint could hold his own.

All around the two assassins, there was yelling. Vanessa made a lunge at Clint and he kicked his legs up, hitting her stomach, sending her flying. She made a flip so her head could avoid a pounding, but Vanessa crashed through the glass wall of the conference room and landed on the table, sending Banner and Selvig flying.

Wheezing, Vanessa shouted curses in Spanish, French, Italian and Greek at Clint. But Clint was no longer hell-bent on doing Loki or Vanessa in. Instead, he was peering over Vanessa's shoulder, backing away very slowly. Wary, Vanessa started to turn on the spot, only someone grabbed her by the hair, yanking Vanessa down on the floor. There was a flash of light, and "Oph" from Banner and the scientist fell down on the ground, knocked out.

"What was that?" Vanessa got to her feet, slowly assessing the damage done to her, eyeing Loki.

"Last time I met the beast, I was smashed into Mr. Stark's floor," His voice was very smooth, "forgive me for not wanting to repeat that."

"No," Selvic said, "what did you do to Banner?"

"Knocked him out." Loki shrugged.

"What happened?"

Everyone turned, surprised to find Steve Rogers in the doorway, arms crossed, surveying the scene disapprovingly.

"Training exercise between Brown and myself," Clint said hastily. "At least, that's what we'll tell Fury."

"It won't matter what we tell Fury," Vanessa shook her hair out of her eyes. "He'll still dock our pay to take care of the damages, unless we pin it on the Iron Man suit again."

"Again?" Jane raised her eyebrows. "You two do this often?"

"Not really," Clint started picking up his arrows. "It's just that whenever something breaks we blame it on Stark. He won't notice if Fury uses some of his money to fix it anyway."

That was as far as friendly conversation ever got between Clint and Vanessa. They fought, blamed the damage on Stark and acted like nothing had happened. It didn't help that both agents trusted each other about as far as they could throw the other ether. That's how it had always been. SHIELD was probably the only reason Clint and Vanessa hadn't tried to kill each other yet.

"You," Vanessa barked at a passing agent, "get someone in here to take care of this mess. And send someone down here to put Banner back in his room. Does anyone know where Fury actually is? We could use his input."

"He's with the counsel," Selvic said.

"Right," Vanessa checked her watch. "Stark should be here any minute. We have a meeting in 301 in ten. Head up there now."

"And where are we going?" Thor stepped forward.

Vanessa eyed Thor and Loki warily. "Cap will lead you two to the meeting room."

"Ma'am," Steve stepped forward, "where are you going?"

"I'm going to get some paperwork so I can pin this whole thing on Stark," Vanessa lied easily.

The only person who seemed to have detected that lie was the God of Mischief, and he was eyeing her with a sort of keen interest. Vanessa shot him a not-so-subtle glare and was off.

**SHIELD Headquarters, Hallway, Third floor**

Vanessa stalked down the hallway, her pace quickening with every step. In one hand, she carried a long black case, the other, held a pile of files that she thought had been destroyed two years ago. She was fuming; a million thoughts were racing through her mind right now, leaving her confused and flustered.

"Ah, Agent Brown, I thought I was the only one late for the meeting."

Vanessa stopped and started at Bruce Banner and looked over him. Bruce looked a little worse for wear, but still in pretty good condition.

"Nope. Shall we face Fury's wrath together?"

"I—what's that?" Bruce pointed to the things in Vanessa's hands.

She sighed, "Doctor, do you remember Phase Two?"

**SHIELD Headquarters, Conference Room 301**

Five minutes into the meeting, Nick Fury had decided he no longer wanted to delay. He had been waiting for Agent Vanessa Brown and Bruce Banner to show up. But, so far, neither had decided to grace the world with their prescience. Loki sat between Steve Rogers and Thor, his feet propped up on the marble conference table, enjoying the frustration the Director was trying to hard to mask. He and the Black Widow were going over everything that had been found out in the country called England. Why every Avenger needed to be present was lost on Loki, but the meeting seemed interesting enough.

"So, the Prime Minister did make contact with alien life forms?" The Iron Man was asking.

"That is what the tapes seem to show," Romanoff said, "Foster and Selvig didn't detect any unusual activity to suggest how they might have gotten on Earth though. So we're at a dead end until we can figure out how."

The doors to the conference room were swung open and in walked Agent Brown and Banner. Brown was carrying a large heavy black case and Banner had his hands full of files.

"Agent Brown, Doctor Banner," Nice of you to join us.

"Did you know, Director, that England is working on a way to carry on with Phase two?" Agent Brown slammed the case on the table and crossed her arms.

So Loki had thought right. She hadn't been off to fill out paper work, she had been sneaking around her own office. Fury put his hands on the table, staring his agent down. The atmosphere in the room was incredibly tense.

"Excuse me?"

"Wait," Rogers cut in, "I thought Phase Two was dropped when Thor took the Tesseract back to Asgard?"

"It was," Fury said.

"Yes, but you didn't destroy the paperwork, Director. SHIELD has been compromised." Brown glared around the room, her gaze lingering a second too long on the Hawkeye.

"That is a serious accusation, Brown. Have anything to back it up?" Romanoff tensed up.

"I was looking through the files I got from the dead Prime Minister and some of the weapon reports sounded familiar. So I went digging and found the Phase Two papers. Someone must've made a copy and took them across the Pond. So we can no longer trust MI6 either. They're the ones carrying on with Phase Two."

"You have no proof of a leak," Fury said, outraged.

The Agent and the Director stared each other down. Then she flipped open the case—which was empty.

"Well that was anti-climatic," Stark muttered.

"That man's," Brown pointed at Loki, who went from looking only mildly interested to very interested, "scepter was supposed to be in here. It's gone, obviously. And if I'm not mistaken the power that the scepter had come from the Tesseract, yes?"

She was looking at Loki now eyebrows raised, expecting an answer, quickly. Well, if he was supposed to be here making amends, Loki better start being helpful now.

"That is correct, yes," he said tapping the table.

"So, is it possible that the Prime Minister was being possessed the same way that Barton was with the scepter?" Banner asked, sinking into a chair next to Stark.

"No," Loki said curtly. "No human could wield its power like that."

"I used it to close the portal," Romanoff said.

"Yes, to close it, that does not require using its power. Besides the Chitauri, I'm the only one who can use that scepter. "

"But England is continuing with Phase Two, so you must be wrong," Brown said.

"Or, the what is it you called them, MI6?" Brown nodded, "Or, they could be working with the Chitauri. Possibly possessed, but I would bet that there are many people who would jump at the chance to bring SHIELD to it's knees."

**Stark Tower-New York, New York**

Two weeks had passed since Vanessa had discovered the leak in SHIELD. Fury had moved her and the Avengers into Stark tower, despite Tony's protesting. It was the only place Fury could have complete privacy to plan a take-back mission now that SHIELD was compromised. Pepper Potts was more than welcoming. She made sure that everyone had comfortable rooms and anything that they might need to ensure a nice stay in Stark Tower. She ensured that the kitchen was fully stocked at all times, mostly for Thor's sake, but everyone needed frequent snack breaks it seemed. And she kept Bruce happy in Tony's labs while the two scientists worked to trace Loki's scepter.

Vanessa, Agents Hill, Romanoff, Barton, Steve, Thor, Fury, and a reluctant Loki spent long hours trying to come up with a plan on how to best break into MI6. Right now, the only plan that seemed to have a chance at a positive outcome was going to England under the cover of pretending to be the President's secret service. But even that plan held more risks than Vanessa preferred.

It was late, probably about two a.m. by the time Vanessa could get herself to bed. She brushed her teeth and washed her face before slipping into some pink sweats and a black tank top. She climbed slowly into bed, eyes darting around the room. Vanessa had done nothing to her temporary room to make it more "homey". Nothing about it expressed Vanessa's interests or her childhood. She hadn't had much of one any way. Vanessa closed her eyes and tried her best to fall asleep. It was going to be a long day tomorrow.

When she awoke, Vanessa was face down on the floor, sheets twisted around her legs and the pillows were scattered. She tried to steady her breathing as Vanessa untangled herself from her sheets.

"Come on, Brown," she muttered to herself, "it was just a dream. Get a grip."

Vanessa walked blindly into her bathroom, tied her hair back and splashed water on her face. She yanked a towel off the rack and patted her face dry. Vanessa's pupils were dilated, whether from fear, or simply because it was dark, she didn't know. Glancing at the clock, Vanessa discovered that she had only ben a sleep maybe two hours. And there was no hope of getting back to sleep now.

Frustrated, Vanessa went back into the room and pulled out a black London sweatshirt and yanked it over her head, pulled on some socks and then went into her rucksack, pulling a sketchbook and a charcoal pencil. Vanessa was quite a gifted artist and she enjoyed it. She used her talent to get all her feelings out. Since there was no hope for sleeping, Vanessa figured she would go sit on the balcony outside of Tony's bar floor and draw New York in all its shining glory.

Vanessa didn't dream much. Or, at least, she rarely remembered her dreams. But the ones she did remember were haunting. Vanessa was a spy, a pavement artist, a honeypot agent and an assassin. Everything she ever did for SHIELD, every person she'd killed, had always been for the "greater good". But none of that mattered. Because the people Vanessa killed and seduced had loved ones (most of them did anyway). How many families had she torn apart? How many hearts had broken because of her actions?

She had dreamed about Charlie Richards. He was Vanessa's first kill. Vanessa was sixteen when it happened. Her first honeypot mission. Vanessa was sent to Italy to investigate a terrorist group there. Charlie Richards was the shining child of an American Attaché who had been stationed there. And like every tragic story, Charlie had been caught up in the "wrong crowd" so to speak. He had been all right, in the beginning. Charlie had taken a liking to Vanessa and like every novice, she had fallen back; forgetting how to keep herself in check. Slowly, things went from bad to worse. Vanessa stopped seducing the men in the terrorist organization and started giving everything she had into Charlie. She got sloppy, her cover was blown and SHIELD had to send in backup in the form of Clint Barton.

Once Charlie knew of Vanessa's true identity, everything fell apart. They were locked in combat, Charlie had the upper hand because Vanessa didn't want to kill him. All the while, Clint stood up high with his bow and arrows, trying to get a clear shot at the Attaché's son. When he did release the arrow, Clint missed his target by an inch, hitting Vanessa instead in the arm.

She should've let Charlie kill her then. But something snapped in Vanessa and she pulled the arrow from her skin and had driven it into her lover's chest and watched the light leave his eyes. When he died, Vanessa had broken down and Clint had to drag her to a SHIELD vehicle and into a safe house.

It had been her worst kill. There was no chance of maintaining any innocence after that. And SHIELD had been furious about the case being blown. It had been a long time before she was allowed to go on any other missions. And Clint Barton had never stopped seeing Vanessa as the sixteen year old who fell in love and compromised a SHIELD case.

Vanessa slipped into the bar and headed to the glass door and snuck outside into the chilly October air. But there was someone sitting outside already. Stark? No, Stark was shorter than that. Cautiously, Vanessa walked forward until she was almost upon the figure—

"You know, I am really quite tired of everyone sneaking up on me," the smooth voice said, irritated. "If I wanted to leave or cause trouble, I would have already done something."

Loki turned around to face Vanessa, annoyance written all of his pale face. "You can leave now."

"This is not your tower and Stark is in bed," Vanessa plopped down and flipped open her sketchbook. "So I'll do what I like, your Majesty."

She began to draw the city skyline furiously, yet, somehow, she started drawing Charlie. Beautiful, young and good Charlie. The one she had once loved, a long time ago.

"Who's that?" Loki's voice held slight curiosity.

"My first lover," Vanessa said simply. "I killed him when I was sixteen."

"What kind of a person kills their lover?"

"The kind that was born and raised in SHIELD," Vanessa said.

"Oh?" Loki raised his eyebrows, intrigued.

"Yup," Vanessa tor out the page she had drawn and crumpled it before throwing it over the edge. With more care this time, Vanessa begins to draw the river Thames and the Tower of London. As miserable as her work had been over there, the city had been a sort of soothing place to be.

"When my parents found out that they were expecting me they signed over custody rights to SHIELD. SHIELD owned me before I was even born."

"What would they want in a weak, helpless infant?"

"I was an experiment. SHIELD wanted to know what kind of agent they could come up with if they had their way of raising one from birth. Three days after I was born, my parents left to do a mission in Russia.

"SHIELD had me learning several languages, piano, computer skills, history, geography, mathematics, anything they thought would be beneficial. And they created a child who's IQ was almost genius. Then they took me out and set me on missions. At the age of five I began tricking targets into walking right to their deaths." Vanessa tore her eyes from her work and looked at Loki, who looked thoughtful. Why was she telling him this? Was he using some sort of magic on her? "Nobody ever expects a child to be so cunning and evil. When a child is crying, begging for someone to help their dying mother or father, nobody would hesitate to come to the rescue. Then, Turkey happened."

"Turkey?" Loki furrowed his brow in confusion.

"It's a country. You have to understand, SHIELD only let my parents see me a few times a year, they were strangers to me." Yes, he must be using magic against her. The harder Vanessa tried to fight the urge to spill her story, the weaker she felt against the power. "But every time I saw my parents, it was like I was never good enough. If I made a mistake, I got a beating.

"Then, Agent Coulson put his foot down. He has always been the closest thing I've ever had to a real father." Loki actually had the decency to look away, he looked…was it shamed? "Phil forbade my parents from ever seeing me again.

"I guess my parents met someone from a different agency in Turkey who swore he could get me under their watchful eye if my parents spied on SHIELD. When I was nine, my parents tried to kidnap me and take me away. But they got more than they bargained for. SHIELD had started training me in combat and I was good. I put up a pretty good fight until the real agents could get in. I'm not sure what happened after that. But my parents were killed.

"Agent Romanoff lives under this delusion that she can somehow wipe all the red from her ledger. She's a fool for believing that any of us had a chance of redeeming ourselves for destroying families. SHIELD trained me to kill and seduce and cheat and steal and lie. And I'm a damn good agent. I could easily kill a man with just this sketch book."

"I seriously doubt that." Was Loki attempting to joke?

"I'll have to show you sometime. It's one of my signatures, turning objects that look pretty harmless into the most lethal weapons. It's why I'm mostly a pavement artist and not a seductress like Romanoff. I look innocent enough, harmless and that makes people think they can break me and have their way with me. That is how I gain my information and that is why I'm still alive. Nobody thinks I'm capable of causing harm; after all, I rarely carry a gun around. I'm worse than any weapon SHIELD could invent because I can kill with my bear hands without batting an eye."

"Then we are not so different, you and I."

"No, we are. You're actually better than me, Loki."

"Pardon?"

"When I was eighteen, SHIELD gave me to option of leaving and trying to live out a normal life. Phil did everything in his power to convince me to take the offer and run as far away as I could. But I took it because I didn't know any other life. Then I was sent to observe and kill."

Vanessa had abandoned her drawing now and was facing Loki head on. He was completely absorbed in her story now. And now she was desperate to tell it, her bedroom hymn.

"When I'm doing missions, I can take my feelings out of the equation. But when it's all over and I'm alone at night I see the faces and the cried of every person I've ever killed. I have nightmares about facing their loved ones, yet I keep tabs on those people. I keep telling myself that one day, I will face them all and own up to all the pain I've caused.

"You're braver than all of us, Loki Laufeyson because you've done awful, horrible things too. Yet, here you are, you could leave any time you want with your magic. Nothing is stopping you. Yet you've proven to be very helpful. You're trying to make amends."

The god seemed at a loss for words. Overcome by everything Vanessa had just said. He looked away and muttered something that might have been a thank you. Vanessa set her sketch book down and drew her knees to her chest. She had just told her tragic life story to the man who killed the closest thing she had ever had to a father. A man who could easily take that information and use it against her. That information could bring SHIELD to its knees, it could destroy her. Yet, Vanessa found that she didn't care. It had been kind of therapeutic to lay everything down. And Vanessa knew that Loki understood, at least a little bit, how she felt.

They sat in silence for a very long time. At some point, Loki grabbed Vanessa's sketchbook and started flipping through it. He would stare at each picture some for much longer than others before flipping to the next page. Loki turned a page and left out a small gasp. Startled, Vanessa turned her head to see what it was he was looking at.

It was a picture she had drawn right after Phil had died. It was of the Chitauri she had seen on the news. The faces were twisted into a hellish evil and dark shadows seemed to leap off the page. It frightened Vanessa. She didn't think that she had even looked it since she had drawn it. With a snap, Loki shut the book and set it down.

"What can you tell me about the Chitauri?"

He took a long hard look at her before shaking his head.

"Not now." Loki put a hand on Vanessa's face, forcing her to close her eyes. "You need to sleep."

He let go of Vanessa and started murmuring the words of a bedroom hymn. When she awoke, the sun was high over New York City.

**Author's Note**

**So that's the second chapter down! I seriously love the response I'm getting. To the three lovelies who've reviewed, you're my favorite. To everyone who's marked this story as a favorite or has it listed to an alert; you guys, I love you.**

**I really hope you all like Vanessa's back story, it's key to the plot and although incredibly dark, I quite like it. The title for this chapter comes from yet another Florence + The Machine song. Give it a listen; it's a brilliant one. Not every chapter title will be a song by her, but I have a feeling most of them will.**

**Pretty, pretty please leave a review? I love them and they make me smile. They're the only payment I get!**

**Cheers!**


	3. Punch Drunk Grinning Soul

Sorry for the wait! Here's the next chapter!

This chapter get's it's title from a Flogging Molly song of the same name! Enjoy!

**Punch Drunk, Grinning Soul**

**Stark Tower-New York, New York**

Loki was completely taken aback by both Vanessa's story and her unexpected kindness. Out of everyone in Stark tower (excluding Thor) she seemed to be the most friendly; but had kept her distance. Ms. Potts was kind, but she was that way with everyone and was often at work. Banner was awkward and preferred silence no matter whom he was with. Stark could be civil, but his need to always have the last word was extremely tiring. Rogers was too serious for anyone to handle for too long. The Black Widow seemed to hold Loki with some sort of respect; but refused to be alone in a room with Loki for more than five seconds. Then, there was Barton. Whenever Loki was around, the Hawkeye couldn't resist pulling out his arrows and flashing them for Loki to see. He was bitter and refused to take anything Loki said as something of merit, often upsetting Thor.

But Vanessa, it seemed, was different. She was very good at staying neutral in debates, observing everyone around her, and she gave credit where credit was due. If anyone gave any sort of helpful input, she was quick to praise. But even she held Loki at arms length. But, that was understandable. He_ had_ killed Agent Coulson, someone who, clearly, had been very precious to her. Yet, she had offered compassion and even some praise.

So, Loki, not one for sentiments, decided to show his thanks by putting her into a dreamless sleep. It was clear that the young spy was lacking in that department, and, why not use magic for something nice? Taking it one step further, Loki cast another spell to keep the mortal warm before retreating back to his own chambers.

Now, it was late morning and Loki was going back up to make sure the girl hadn't fallen off or something. He ran into Ms. Potts who was holding a steaming mug of some drink.

"Oh, thank God!" Pepper shoved the mug into Loki's hands and he looked at her questioningly. "Vanessa fell asleep outside and I'm running late for work. Could you please take the tea out to her?" Without waiting for a response, Pepper dashed off, back down the stairs.

Sighing, Loki carried the mug up a few more flights of stairs until he was standing outside. He supposed it must be a bit chilly out, given the month, but Loki wasn't bothered by it at all. The air was crisp, that much he could tell. Vanessa was awake, a blanket wrapped around her as she rubbed her eyes looking over the wild city.

"Ms. Potts sent me to bring you this," Loki said, making the spy jump.

"Damn it, don't do that! I'm outside on a building!"

"Whoops," Loki muttered, he shoved the mug under Vanessa's nose and she glared at him.

Loki knew that look. It was the same look that Frigga used to give him and Thor when the two of them had gone and done something awful.

"What?" He asked as Vanessa took the mug.

"You used magic on me last night," she said plainly.

Loki nodded once, "Yes."

"Why?" she straightened up and the only thing that kept Loki from laughing at her extremely messy hair was the anger etched on her face. "Why the hell would you use your magic to get my horrible life story out into the open? I'm not even remotely interesting, you ass."

Loki was very taken aback; he set the mug down and leaned forward slightly, making eye contact with the very angry spy.

"I used magic to put you to sleep, not to get your story out of you. You are not the only person who is good at getting others to talk. As long as one is showing genuine interest in someone, it is easy to get any story out in the open."

The spy's expression softened slightly as she digested the words. He could tell that she was agreeing with him, but was still furious for allowing herself to be interrogated.

"Why would you use magic to put me to sleep?" she picked up the mug and took a sip of the liquid, then pulled a face. "Awful tea," she muttered then looked up at Loki, expecting an answer.

"I put you to sleep because you looked like you needed it," Loki hesitated slightly, "and because you have been the only person so far to show my any kind of courtesy, even though I've probably hurt you more than any of the others."

"Yeah well," Vanessa dumped the tea over the edge of the building, "Phil was always one for second chances and Lord knows we all deserve a fresh start every now and then. Besides, you've actually been helpful, and I'm not one to resent help…unlike some."

"Which brings me to my next question. Why do you and Barton seem to hate each other so?"

Vanessa stood up and let the blanket fall to the floor. She started making her way back inside and Loki had no choice but to follow.

"That is another story for another time." She walked quickly through the bar and down a few flights of stairs then paused, listening at a door. "Damn, sounds like everyone is in the kitchen."

Then the spy pushed open the door and marched right in, Loki, not having anything better to do, followed, keeping his face neutral as he peered at everyone. Director Fury and Agent Hill were the only two missing. Natasha and Barton were sitting on a sofa watching what Loki learned was called a TV. Banner and Stark were going over something on a screen, Thor was clearly very interested in the entertainment section of the newspaper and Rogers was eating something that looked just horrible. Vanessa casually set the mug down in the sink.

"Watcha looking at?" she peered over Stark and Banner's shoulders.

"We're—Holy Hagird look at that hair!" Stark shouted.

Vanessa ran a hand casually though her long, dark hair and shrugged. "Still trying to figure out who the SHIELD leak is?"

"Yes," Banner nodded not taking his eyes off the screen.

"Hey, look who's on the news!" Natasha grabbed a remote and turned up the volume, everyone turned to look at the screen.

"Oh, hey it's me!" Vanessa crossed her arms over her chest and peered at a woman with long, black hair, a sharper nose, blue eyes and well defined cheekbones.

"That looks nothing like you," Thor exclaimed.

"She's a pavement artist, a maser at disguise," Natasha said.

"You know, I still find it sad that SHIELD sends its female agents to act as whores for important public figures," Stark said. Vanessa and Natasha looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "I thought there was more to the whole spy stuff."

"Oh no," Vanessa flipped off the TV, "The women of SHIELD are sent to save the world, one blow job at a time."

Everyone, save Thor, Loki and Rogers snorted with laughter. Loki exchanged a confused look with his brother and Rogers just looked on disapprovingly.

"What is a blow job?" Thor asked. That caused more laughter.

"You know it's when…" Tony made an obscene gesture with his hands and his mouth. The gears in Loki's mind moved into place and he joined in with the laughter at his brother's expense.

"Why on earth would you mortals call that a 'blow job?'" he asked.

"No, idea," said Barton dismissively.

"It's oral sex, Thor," Natasha said easing the god's easily confused mind.

Thor nodded. "Jane gives—"

"Enough! Too much information!" Vanessa slapped a hand over Thor's mouth and Loki put his head in his hands in shame for his brother.

"Did you really sexually please the dead Prime Minister though," Stark's tone was business-like.

Vanessa shook her head. "He had performance issues and preferred Polish strippers. That's how I got information out of him."

"What? You took him to strip clubs and got strippers to dance on him?" Banner looked amused.

"Well, I also got him intoxicated, but yeah, that's pretty much how I did my job."

"Wow, he sounds like he was an easy target." Stark mumbled.

Vanessa didn't answer. Instead she turned her attention to the soldier.

"It's time for your training, Steve. You're coming with me."

Rogers looked relieved to have an excuse to leave the kitchen, away from sex talk. He immediately made to follow Vanessa out. Loki, not wanting to be left in a room with Stark, Barton and Thor without an almost normal person followed the two out.

"I'm joining you," he said awkwardly behind Rogers.

"Good," Vanessa said from the front of the line, "maybe you can teach Steve how to hit a girl who's got a knife at his throat. I need to change. I'll meet you two down in the training room."

So, the soldier and Loki made their way down the stairs in silence until they reached the training level. Rogers made straight for a punching bag and Loki slumped down casually in a chair, not really sure what he should be expecting. Steve Rogers was an old fashioned man, which made sense given his predicament. But he made no secret of his dislike and mistrust of Loki; the captain just was not as vocal as some of the other Avengers were. He was clearly a man of great integrity, maybe even smarter than most people, but Loki still had a hard time not laughing at the mortal. He could easily kill the soldier if he wished. It was almost comical, this American hero trying to live up to some gentleman era while training to kill.

The door opened and Vanessa slipped inside. Her hair had been pulled back, out of the way and she was in her SHIELD uniform. She looked ready to work hard. The spy eyed the room, taking in everything that was set out and her eyes settled on Rogers, studying the way he moved while hitting the sandbag over and over. The woman put her hands on her hips, a mischievous grin on her face.

"All right, Rogers," she said, "are you ready to work?"

**Stark Tower Training Room-New York, New York**

"Feel free to jump in anytime, Laufyson!" Vanessa barked as she avoided one of Steve's punches.

"Who's side would he be on?" Steve shouted as he barley avoided one of Vanessa's kicks.

"Couldn't care less. He can keep switching sides if he wants, that'll keep us on our toes! Maybe it will teach you out to fight!"

"I know how to fight!"

Vanessa laughed, "I beg to differ, Captain."

"You're a girl, I'm not going to hurt you!"

Vanessa gave one last effort and kicked Steve around the head and pinned him to the ground, staring him down.

"So you mean to tell me, that when we're in MI6 next week and a woman is running at you with the intention of killing you, slowly, and painfully, you're just going to _let_ her? Because if that's how you play, I'll make damn sure Fury makes you stay behind with Banner."

Steve had no reply. Annoyed, Vanessa stood up and glared at the man.

"Go sit in the corner or something and rest. You obviously need it," she ordered. "Loki, get your ass over here."

Vanessa crossed her arms as the god got up out of his chair, cast Steve an amused look and made his way to the center of the room.

"Impressive," he said, "But I am not fighting you. I could do more damage than any of us want."

"Sounds like fun," Vanessa shrugged. Without even pausing, Vanessa shot a punch towards to side of Loki's face. But he caught her wrist quick as a flash and held it very tightly.

Loki leaned in very close and Vanessa caught a trace of all the anger he kept well hidden lining his face. "You really do not want to fight me," he hissed.

"Actually, I really think I do. You may not have noticed but I enjoy punching things when I'm angry and since Barton isn't here, you're the next best thing."

Vanessa twisted her arm out of the god's grasp and rammed her elbow into his stomach. Loki let out a gasp as he keeled forward slightly, but his recovery was incredibly fast. Loki yanked Vanessa back by her hair and grabbed her in a chokehold.

"I am not going to go easy on you just because you are a woman."

Vanessa rolled her eyes, "Thank god, I could use a challenge." Then she head-butted Loki and squirmed out of his grasp.

If anything, it was a battle to show who had the most built-up anger. Neither opponent was really all at interested in harming the other for personal reasons. But, if this was even possible, the tension seemed to slowly ebb out of the room. As they threw punches, Vanessa and Loki hurled jokes at each other.

And Loki was not lying when he said he was not going to go easy. He was using magic and his inhuman strength to tire out Vanessa. And she knew that the only thing that kept her in the fight was her quick reaction time. She was much smaller than Loki in both size and build so maneuvering her body out of tight holds was much easer for her. Not that Vanessa hadn't been able to do some damage on the Norse god. But Loki's body had a quicker healing rate than anyone Vanessa had ever fought, so any damage she'd done didn't last.

Some time during the fight, Steve had wandered off. Normally, Vanessa would've been irritated by someone ditching out of training. But, if the captain had been there, he might have tried to stop the fight. Vanessa was gathering up a long list of injuries. Her lip and forehead were both bleeding and she had acquired several smaller bruises. Vanessa knew that she would have a rather large one across her stomach in the morning from the punching bag Loki hurled at her.

But Vanessa refused to give up. She was actually enjoying herself. In fact, Vanessa was sure that the only way this fight was going to end was if Loki knocked her out. So, they kept going; throwing punches and insults. Occasionally, Loki would send some blast of magic in Vanessa's direction, but he never hit her full on.

Vanessa dodged some magic spell by grabbing a pull up bar and hoisting herself up very quickly. She then brought her legs up and kicked Loki square in the chest. He stuck out his arm and gave his wrist a twist; and the screws holding the pull up bar came out. Vanessa braced herself and landed smoothly before taking a swing at Loki with the bar.

He caught it and twisted it, trying to take it out of Vanessa's hands. Neither of them would budge, and they ended up doing a strange little dance. Each were trying to knock the other down on the floor so hard, that they stayed down. They'd been at it for so long now, even Loki was getting incredibly tired.

Vanessa used the rod to slide her body on the ground and through Loki's legs, causing him to flip forward and land hard on his back. But the god had his fingers glued to the scrap of metal. His reaction was so quick, it almost left Vanessa stunned. Loki was up and on top of Vanessa, the rod at her neck. He could easily choke her now. So, Vanessa did the only thing she could. She moved one of her legs and positioned it around Loki's neck in such a way that would make it incredibly easy for Vanessa to snap his neck.

"Well," Loki panted, "it seems that we are in a rather compromising position."

"In more ways than one," Vanessa replied, just as out of breath.

"You fight well. Better than most of the morons here."

"I know. SHIELD basically started training me the moment I shot out of my mother's vagina, so what do you expect?"

Loki gave Vanessa a really interesting look. "You shot out? How many other children had your mother had?"

"I think I'm the only one. But I dunno for sure, do I? I don't think my mom and I ever had a normal conversation."

"Interesting. So, this," Loki said, indicating to the position he and Vanessa had put themselves in. "We could very easily kill each other. Where do we go from here?"

"I believe, in the rare event that two parties are evenly matched, this thing called a draw happens."

Vanessa removed her leg from around Loki's neck and he rolled off of her and lay on his back with his eyes closed. Vanessa threw the rod several feet away and placed her hands under her head.

"Tell me what you know of the Chitauri."

"I think," said Loki tiredly, "that there are worse things than the Chitauri."

"Like what?" Vanessa rolled on her side, looking at Loki, very much demanding an answer.

Loki opened his eyes briefly to shoot Vanessa an annoyed look. "You guys keep obsessing over the alien you saw in your Prime Minister tapes. It was not a member of the Chitauri—it was someone called The Other."

Vanessa stared at him. "…The hell?"

"He is the personal henchman to Thanos, my ally the last time I was here."

"So," Vanessa scrunched her nose, "Thanos is the type of guy who doesn't like to get personally involved…unless he feels someone is important enough. And he sent this…Other—"

"_The_ Other," Loki interjected before nodding for Vanessa to continue talking.

"Right. So he sent The Other to convince Prime Minister Tudor to kill himself…why?"

"Either Tudor did everything Thanos needed and there needed to be no chance at him leaving evidence: Or, the Prime Minister messed something up."

"I cannot believe I never even saw a hint of what was going on," Vanessa shook her head.

"Your Prime Minister was probably under a form of mind control, you would not have been able to detect it."

The two sat in silence for a while. Vanessa sifted through this new information, trying to make sense of everything. She still had a lot of questions.

"So, if you and Thanos were allies…how often did the two of you, erm, interact?"

"He made sure my training was being carried out properly, but very rarely did he ever personally deal with me. Mostly we communicated through The Other."

"What sort of training did you go through?" asked Vanessa. "Maybe we could use it against him…when the time comes."

Loki gave a sort of sarcastic laugh. "Mostly, Thanos had me tortured in such a way that it is impossible to properly describe. He will do worse should we ever meet again. You would have to be absolutely evil to want to even attempt the methods Thanos enjoys, Agent Brown."

Vanessa sat up and crossed her legs. She stared into her lap for a long time, feeling suddenly sorry for Loki. Thor had said that even when Loki was bent on taking over the world, he showed signs of wanting to put a stop to all the madness he had orchestrated. But the fear of unworldly torture would be enough to make Vanessa keep at an evil deed.

"I do not want your pity," Loki said sharply, sensing Vanessa's feelings.

"Doesn't mean I still won't give it," Vanessa stood up, suddenly wanting nothing more than a hot shower. "And you can call me Vanessa. I hate being called 'Agent Brown' all the time."

**Author's Note**

Sorry about the long wait! This chapter took a long time to write and even longer to edit. Partly because both my beta and myself went on vacation of several days. Anyway, sorry, I know this is mostly a filler chapter. But I did make sure that there were a few important things thrown in.

Anyway, sorry again for the wait. If you read this chapter, please, please leave a comment in the box below? They never fail to make me smile and I love knowing what you lovely readers are thinking!


	4. Shoot to Thrill

You guys, seriously, I love you. I love that you guys are enjoying this story because I'm having so much fun writing it. This chapter has a bit of gore, so I'm just warning you ahead of time. Also, there is a bit of un-lady like language.

This chapter gets its name from the AC/DC song, "Shoot to Thrill".

Enjoy!

**Shoot To Thrill**

**SHIELD Hellicarrier-London, England**

In just five short minutes Natasha, Clint, Steve, Loki and Vanessa would all be boarding a small jet that would take them to the top of a nearby building. Stark and Banner would stay on the Hellicarrier to help the five navigate through MI6 and hopefully find out where exactly Loki's scepter was hidden.

The plan was simple. Loki was going to walk through the front doors of MI6 asking for a meeting with the director. Vanessa would be undercover as an agent for MI6 and she would safely walk Loki inside without raising any red flags. Meanwhile, Clint, Natasha and Steve would be sneaking in through the vents. They could only do that with Stark and Banner hacking into the security systems. As Loki was a key point in the break-in, Thor had to stay in the air as well. The two princes of Asgard working together would raise too many red flags.

So, Vanessa stood in front of a mirror, giving herself one last one over. She was wearing a green pencil dress with black heels, black square glasses framed her face and her brown hair had been straightened and pulled back into a bun. She looked stern and professional—perfect. Satisfied, Vanessa left the room and made her way to the main control room for a final debriefing.

The control room had a very tense atmosphere. Natasha and Clint stood together, talking quietly in their SHIELD uniforms. Steve stood alone with his arms crossed wearing tan trousers and a white shirt, as his Captain America uniform would be a dead giveaway. Loki stood next to Thor looking annoyed and uncomfortable. As he was going to be meeting with the MI6 director, Evan Jones, he had to look professional. And Tony Stark had taken it upon himself to dress the god of mischief in a well-tailored black suit, a neatly pressed white shirt and a deep green tie. Loki kept shifting his feet and shrugging his shoulders as if that would help him get used to the clothing.

"You cannot go walking into MI6 looking like you would rather be chopping off your penis, Loki. As much as you hate Stark's fashion taste, you need to look like you're having the time of your life in that thing."

Loki and Thor both looked at Vanessa, horrified.

"No man of Asgard would ever castrate himself!" Thor puffed up his chest and Loki rolled his eyes behind his brother's back.

"Ahm," Vanessa said, "I just call things as I see it, big boy. Where's Fury?"

"Right here," Fury strolled in, "and I have your comms units. Put them in, quickly." He started distributing the earpieces and every agent stuck them in securely. "Barton, you are to have eyeball on Loki until he's inside MI6."

Clint nodded, throwing a nasty look in Loki's direction, who in turn, gave Clint a wink and ran his tongue over his teeth. Vanessa suppressed a laugh at the Hawkeye's enraged look.

"Where are Stark and Banner?" Steve asked.

"In the lab, already working on breaking into the MI6 security system," Fury replied. "Now, get in the jet, it's time you all should be gone."

**MI6-London, England**

"Okay, Stark, I'm sending all files concerning Phase Two to your computer…now."

Getting into MI6 had been easy. With a swipe of a fake ID card and a confident strut, Vanessa had been able to get in and lock herself into an office and start hacking.

"I have them," Stark said into the comms unit.

Nodding to herself, Vanessa went to work deleting all traces of Phase Two while Banner kept hard at work keeping all alarms down and Stark began to manipulate the security cameras.

"Loki is on the move inside," came Natasha's voice.

"I have eyeball," Clint said.

Vanessa finished her work and shut down the computer. Slowly, she began to make her way to the entrance to meet Loki and escort him safely inside. He was already at the front desk working charms on the receptionist, carrying a briefcase.

"Do you have eyeball, Brown?" Clint was asking.

"Yes, Barton," Vanessa muttered, "Now shut the fuck up. I'm undercover and Loki's not a target. Go join Widow and Cap."

"Can we not have this langu—" Steve started.

"Funk fucking penis," Stark interrupted.

This was met with both Natasha and Bruce scolding everyone and telling them to focus on the task at hand.

"Loki, Vanessa," Bruce said in his soft and carful voice, "I've managed to trace the scepter to Evan Jones' office. And all other files pertaining to Phase two are in the west end, computer says room 778."

"Good work," Steve said.

"Yeah, we're on our way over there," Natasha muttered. "Brown and Loki have Jones until we can join them."

So they were now in the vents, good everything was going to plan.

"Mr. Laufyson," Vanessa said, interrupting his conversation with the receptionist. "Mr. Jones will see you now."

Loki rushed to Vanessa's side and they began walking through the winding hallways briskly, listening to everyone communicating through the comms units.

"Here," Loki held out the brief case.

"What is it?"

"Your uniform, incase we have to fight."

"Right," Vanessa took the briefcase and yanked Loki into the nearest empty office. She set the briefcase on the table and flipped it open. Then Vanessa began rolling up her dress and removing the holsters on her thighs. She took her fake glasses and dropped them in a garbage can where they were set on fire. Vanessa unzipped her dress and stepped out of it, throwing that too, into the trashcan. Loki, very subtly and calmly looked the other way and crossed his arms. Vanessa hurriedly pulled on the cat suit and clipped the belt, holsters, and bracelets with other weapons on then pulled her hair out of its harsh bun.

"Okay, pal," Vanessa lead the way out of the office, "let's do this."

"Pal?" Loki raised his eyebrows at Vanessa.

"Nevermind."

"I cannot believe you just referred to me as 'pal'"

Vanessa rolled her eyes and she and Loki trekked in silence toward the heart of MI6, towards Jones' office. Passersby didn't even give Vanessa any weird looks as she walked. She looked like a spy and MI6 contained a lot of very good ones. No, it was Loki that was drawing attention. Vanessa couldn't be sure if it was because he looked familiar or if it was just the regal way in which he carried himself. Several minutes later, the two found themselves in front of the office. Hesitant, Vanessa knocked.

"Enter," came an irritated voice.

Vanessa twisted the knob and she and Loki entered the rather large and expensive looking office. Evan Jones was sitting at his desk, a phone in hand. His rather small eyes looked at Loki and then focused on Vanessa. She felt suddenly uncomfortable.

"Code three," Jones said into the phone and snapped it shut. "Please, shut the door and have a seat."

Loki shut the door and he and Vanessa cautiously took their seats on the other side of the desk. Jones pressed his fingertips together and peered at the two very intently.

"Well, SHIELD must be getting less intelligent by the day, sending the man Thanos would most like back under his…care right into enemy territory with no cover."

"Do you honestly think SHIELD would send anyone into a compromised spy center without backup?" Vanessa cocked an eyebrow. A game of carful chess was in the works.

"No, I suppose not, you're here Agent Brown. It's been a very long time since I've seen you. It's been what, nine years?"

"Excuse me?" Jones took one of Vanessa's pawns and Loki was casting interested looks between the two.

"Oh, you never saw me, no I was the man in charge of the Charlie Richards mission in Italy."

Vanessa felt her stomach drop. "Charlie was a spy?"

"Oh, yes, a very good one for only twenty, He was sent to use any method possible to bring you back to Turkey."

"Ah, Turkey, so he must've worked for the same society as my parents did, then. What did you guys want with me?"

Jones leaned forward, his eyes never leaving Vanessa's face.

"You come from a long line of spies, Miss Brown. You were conceived not by accident. When your parents found out that SHEILD wanted to experiment with a child and raise them in the world of spies, your parents jumped at the opportunity to give them what they wanted. You were supposed to then do as your parents did, and become a double agent. You were going to help the family business bring SHIELD down."

"Yeah, that didn't work very well did it?" Vanessa feigned indifference. "I killed Charlie and my parents are dead. I don't think there is any reason for me to jump on board with this family business."

"What is your business with Thanos?" Loki cut in, "He does not enter into agreements without a clear benefit for him."

"Oh, I should think it was obvious but no," Jones pointed to the air, "No, Miss Brown doesn't know the plan any more, do you, darling?"

"What plan?" Vanessa snarled.

"Tudor let slip our dealings with Thanos and the Chitauri the night before he died. But then, you wouldn't remember would you, dear? Thanos paid you a visit that night, toyed with you mind. I'm sure he found the contents of your mind very, very interesting."

Vanessa gripped the armrests of her chair very hard. She was suddenly very afraid. Her heart was thumping madly and she was finding it very difficult to think. She was supposed to have been raised to become a double agent for some family spy business and information that could save the world was hidden inside her brain.

What. The. Hell.

"He will kill you," Loki said savagely. "Thanos will get exactly what he wants and kill you in return."

Kill, right yes, spies get information and they kill. There were so many voices talking in Vanessa's ear, but she didn't hesitate. She didn't have time to wait for an OK. She snatched a lighter off Jones' desk and set the desk ablaze.

"Damn it!" came Natasha's voice. "Stark, did you let the security breech slip? We've got company!"

"How dare you ask that, Agent Romanoff!"

"That was Jones," Vanessa cut in watching Jones' eye dart to his bookshelf. "He called code three the moment he saw us. Loki, the scepter is behind the bookshelf! Pull the world record book on the third shelf to open the safe!"

Jones was up, furious, he gave up trying to extinguish the fire and made a lunge for Vanessa, grabbing the back of her neck. "You'll die in here, I'll make sure of it."

The bookshelf slide to the side, revealing a black case, no doubt holding the scepter. Vanessa grabbed a magazine off the shelf and rolled it up: Trying not to let the smoke sting her eyes.

"Go, Loki, I'll be right behind you," Vanessa wrenched away from Jones, kneeing him in the crotch.

She threw open the office door and Loki, holding the case close, ran out. Vanessa spilled out gasping in the clean air but Jones was close behind. He threw an enraged punch and hit Vanessa on the side of her face. Someone walking by immediately sought a fight with Loki.

"Banner!" Vanessa shouted avoiding a blow from Jones, still clutching the magazine tightly, "Get the alarms up and running stat!"

"Why?"

"Because I set the bloody place on fire!" Vanessa turned on the spot and whipped the magazine around Jones' neck. "A-team, abort. Burn the reports you have and get out."

Loki casually smashed his opponent's face into the wall and he fell to the ground, clearly dead. He turned ready to aid Vanessa but she shot him a look and he stayed put as the alarms started sounding. Vanessa turned again, swiftly and very deliberately shoved the rolled up magazine into Jones' mouth and down his throat. He struggled, but Vanessa stayed firm. She looked him in the eyes, smirking dangerously.

"I'm not the one who'll be dying here, Mr. Jones".

The agent's body gave a violent shake and his eyes rolled up into his head and he fell limp. Vanessa let go of the magazine as people everywhere started flying out of doors and outside. Vanessa grabbed Loki's hand and started dragging him in the opposite direction.

"You said you could kill a man with your sketch book—"

"Yes, unfortunately, I don't have that on me so I had to improvise."

"You two need to hurry!" came the solder's voice, "The get away car is waiting."

"Where the hell are you guys?" Vanessa shouted ducking and knocking another MI6 agent off his feet. Loki swung the case up and knocked out his partner.

"We're in the vents!" Natasha panted, "avoid them if you can, it's hot!"

"No shit! I didn't just set the place on fire or anything! Get out of there!"

Loki flung an arm out, stopping Vanessa and a dagger came out of nowhere, from his hand and into the neck of an oncoming attacker. Vanessa rushed forward as blood gushed out of the man's neck and took his impressive looking gun.

"Put it down!" Loki hissed.

"Why would I do that?" Vanessa raised an eyebrow and started fiddling with buttons on the gun.

"That's a gun modeled after the Destroyer I sent—"

"I know I'm disabling it." Vanessa pressed one final button and a horrible smelling chemical started leaking from the gun. "Jesus, it's slow…Uh…back away."

Loki stared at Vanessa, but did as he was told. Vanessa yanked opened one of the garbage cans and threw the gun inside. She dropped to the floor and skidded across it as the rubbish bin lit up, destroying the gun and causing a small explosion. Vanessa scrambled to her feet and she and Loki took off running again.

"Could you guys please hurry it up?" Nick Fury's voice came over the comms. "I would like to get you all out alive, if possible."

"We're trying, sir," said Clint, "But we're in the vents."

"Were are you?" Banner said, "We've got the blueprints, we could guide you out."

"Uh…W-45," Natasha responded.

"All right, there's an exit about ten feet in front of you, you'll come through the ceiling."

"We're on our way to meet you—DAMN IT!"

Vanessa shrieked as someone from behind grabbed her hair, yanking her backwards. She felt strong arms wrap around her, one around her waist, the other around her neck, holding a knife. Loki turned around and paused, assessing the scene. He then took slow, cautious steps toward Vanessa and whoever was holding her.

"I'd let go if I were you," Loki said, his voice was dripping with venom.

"Why, when I have the advantage?" came a man's voice. It was vaguely familiar to Vanessa. She started racking her brains. Where had she met him before?

"You know, I think we should just slow down and talk like responsible adults, yeah?" said Vanessa.

The man who was holding Vanessa shook her roughly. "You'll not be getting away this time."

Vanessa felt a drop of blood run down her neck. "Ah, I remember you! Barcelona, right? I'm sorry about killing your partner and everything, but he was involved in a terrorist organization. So I had no choice, really."

Vanessa bit down on the man's arm and ducked. Loki acted quickly and threw another one of his magical daggers. This one nailed the man in his left eye.

"Sorry about your eye," Loki shrugged.

"You just saved my life!" Vanessa was dumbfounded as she and Loki ran down corridors.

"Yes, and?" he sounded annoyed.

"Why? Why didn't you just keep running?"

"Right now, we are partners. Last time I checked, partners help each other out. Am I not correct?"

"I—no you're right it's just—"

"We've found you!" Natasha was picking herself off the floor with Steve and Clint. A tile in the ceiling had fallen through.

"Yeah, yeah, can we get out now?" Clint started pushing Natasha along and the group of five started sprinting towards the nearest exit.

The alarms that were going off seemed to be doing their job: For they met no one else. MI6 had been evacuated. With an exit in site, Steve sprinted and shoved himself against the door, forcing it open. The team started taking in gasps of clean air, but they didn't stop running. They kept on at it making straight towards the getaway car where Agent Hill was at the wheel.

**SHIELD Hellicarrier-In The Sky**

The journey back to the SHIELD hellicarrier had gone without incident. Agent Hill wasted no time getting the team on the road and to a safer location where they could all get on a jet and fly back up to base.

The atmosphere was a strange one. Everyone, save Loki, had taken some time to assess what damage had been done to them. Steve, Natasha and Clint all seemed reasonably pleased with the outcome. Loki was incredibly apprehensive about having the scepter back and Vanessa, he could tell, was seething.

Now that the mission had been completed, she was allowed to be angry. And given all that Jones had let spill, she had every right to be furious. Loki knew how she was feeling, so he was not at all surprised by Vanessa's reaction when they were all back on base. She lead the way into the main control room where Fury, Stark and Banner already were with Thor lounging in a chair.

"Brother!" Thor boomed. Loki had to suppress an eye roll. "You have returned with the scepter!" Thor stood up and held his arms wide open. "You have been victorious!"

"Thor, I swear to gods if you hug me I will—" Too late, the god of thunder embraced Loki, who did not return it. He just stood awkwardly until Thor let go.

"When did you plan on telling me that I came from a family of spies, Director?" Vanessa stood tall, her arms folded, dried blood on her neck and the tips of her hair were singed.

"We didn't know your family history when you took you in, Agent Brown," said Fury stiffly.

"Obviously not, or you wouldn't have taken me to experiment with. When did you find out this piece of information?"

"After your parents were killed, that's when—" Clint started.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Vanessa looked around the room, furious. "Who all knew this? You didn't think it was important to mention that my family runs some sort of spy business?"

"It was our fear that if you knew, you would look for your family and turn double agent on SHIELD," Fury looked cool and collected.

"Are you kidding me?" Vanessa started rolling up the sleeve on her right arm and held her wrist up to Fury's good eye. "Do you not remember how wonderfully my parents treated me? Have you forgotten about Phil, risking his life to save me from my parents when they tried to take me? Or how about the night I was too hurt to move because my father took a fire poker and burned my wrists because I somehow was not measuring up? Because I can't ever forget that, Director. If you think I would ever want to go and join a family that condones child abuse, then you don't know me very well at all. You could've used me to take down this organization before they decided to make a pact with Thanos!"

Nick Fury seemed a little uncomfortable for a moment. But he recovered his composure quickly. "You need to rest up, Agent Brown."

"Excuse me?"

"We all heard it over the comms. You got some very important information out of Tudor the night before he died. Information that was so important, this guy, Thanos figured a stop on Earth to toy with your brain was worth something. Whatever information is hiding in your mind, could potentially save this planet and take down your family's organization." Fury gave Vanessa a long, hard look. "I intend to get that information and I will do whatever I can to succeed."

**Author's Note**

**So that's another chapter down! More secrets have been reveled! Thank you for reading and pretty please leave your thoughts in the review box below!**

**Cheers, guys!**


	5. Mountain and the Sea

Wow, you guys are awesome. I'm still amazed at how many of you are reading and enjoying this! Seriously, it means a lot, so thank you! This chapter gets its name from an Ingrid Michaelson song with the same title. Give it a listen. It's good. In a lot of ways, I feel like it described the Loki/Vanessa relationship.

**Mountain and the Sea**

**Stark Tower-New York, New York **

The weeks that followed were some of the most tiring for Vanessa. She spent hours on end, every single day having her brain picked at by Bruce, Eric and occasionally, Jane stopped by to help. Clint and Natasha had somehow managed to get footage from the strip bar Vanessa had been at with Tudor the night he let something slip. So with that breakthrough, Vanessa had been able to put some details back into her mind, but she was still at a loss as to what she was supposed to have heard.

Shock therapy and picture drawing were also huge. Drawing out her day, trying to sift through the minor details. Shock therapy was mainly used when Vanessa needed help focusing her mind on the task at hand. She didn't exactly know how that was supposed to work. More often than not, Vanessa left the lab with awful migraines.

On top of that, she was up to her ears in research about the Carver Society—the family spy network. That too was proving difficult. The Carver Society was very good at keeping off the radar. She had found out a few things though. It was currently run by her grandmother, Danielle Carver, who had been a very infamous assassin in her day. Vanessa had several uncles who were very high up in rankings as well. She recognized a few of their names and faces. But none of this was all that groundbreaking and left Vanessa more frustrated than before.

Oddly enough, her only friend, if friend was the right word, though this seemed to be Loki. He was often times asked to sit in during Vanessa's time in the lab because he had been the only other person to interact with Thanos. So, he saw much of the frustration that went on. But he and Vanessa also spent a lot of time sitting in Tony's huge study (more like a mini library). Vanessa had retreated there one afternoon with the intention of doing some research, when Loki wandered in, carrying a huge book on Norse Mythology. Most days, neither of them talked. But they ended up spending long hours hiding out in the study, both doing some kind of research.

At this point, it was nice to have someone who didn't mind being around Vanessa. Most the Avengers treated her with great care now, as though she might try and takeover the world in an instant. Vanessa knew Loki felt the same. Thor, Jane and Pepper were always kind, but that was for entirely different reasons. She and Loki had a sort of bond now. He had saved her life; and Vanessa had been the first person to treat him with respect. It was an interesting situation, one that didn't bother Vanessa at all.

Today was another one of those days where Vanessa had been up and getting to work in the lab at five a.m. until twelve p.m. And although Vanessa was now alone on Stark's study nursing a screaming headache, pouring over a laptop with notes spread out in front of her, she was feeling quite pleased with herself. Today, after several long hours, Vanessa and the lab crew had had a minor breakthrough. Vanessa had been going over every detail, once again, insignificant and significant when she started talking about getting drunk and feeling slightly hung over the next day.

"But I thought you said that you had taken that special pill SHIELD invented?" Loki had interrupted.

That special pill was something SHIELD had invented for all of its spies who did undercover work. In the event of a spy needing to sit down and have a drink, or several, with a subject, the pill prevented its user from actually getting intoxicated.

Vanessa had wrinkled her brow, "Yeah, I did but—"

"The hung over feeling was probably a side effect brought on by Thanos' mind play. But the getting drunk memory is a false one put in place over what you found out."

Banner and Selvic had both become incredibly optimistic after that, and the kept pushing Vanessa to break though the false memory. But that had been the only breakthrough that day. Still, progress was progress If only Vanessa saw some of that as she researched the Carver Society. But no, there was no such luck in that department.

As Vanessa poured over her notes, adding side comments and even a few random doodles, she started to feel her eyes drop. At first, Vanessa tried to fight the overwhelming drowsiness, but then, slowly she let her head drop onto the desk and closed her eyes.

**Stark Tower-New York, New York**

Loki was unsurprised when he entered Stark's study to find Vanessa sitting at her usual desk. What did surprise him, however, was the fact that she was sleeping, her head on the table, a pen still in hand. Even in sleep, she looked exhausted.

Loki had been slightly shocked to find that he enjoyed the company of the woman. She didn't walk on eggshells around him, she didn't act as though Loki was going to loose it at any given moment, like everyone else did. Not only that, but Vanessa was just easy to be around. She was quiet, but she made jokes and book recommendations. She was interesting and even kind.

So, as Loki passed her, he didn't try to wake her up. She deserved some rest. Instead, he flung himself down onto the sofa and cracked open a new book, _War and Peace_, it was called. He had finished the book on Norse mythology. It had been an amusing book because of all the flaws in the book. Midgardians were very clueless as to the going-ons on Asgard. Although, if Loki ever saw the Lady Sif again it might just be worth his time to ask her if she really had made love to her brother. Loki could just picture her reaction. Smiling slightly at the thought, Loki continued reading.

"What time is it?"

Loki looked up from his book some time later and looked at Vanessa who was stretching and stifling a yawn.

"Ah, must be after three."

"Damn, I was hoping to wake up and start another lab session," Vanessa stood up and started stacking her papers. "What are you reading now?"

"It is called _War and Peace_," said Loki.

"Bit ironic for you, innit?" Vanessa cast Loki an amused look and went to look out the window.

"Ha, yes I suppose it is."

"Do you want to go for a walk? I'm sick of being inside this damn building everyday."

Loki shut the book, his thumb keeping his place. "I do not think that I would be allowed outside."

"If you're with me you should be fine. And anyway, I don't exactly plan on telling anyone I'm going outside for a walk. Get changed into something normal and warm and meet me down at my room in ten."

Vanessa Brown had a very final way of saying things. It was pointless to even attempt to argue with her, not that Loki wanted to, but he did have some doubts about getting outside. He had a hard time believing that Fury would allow him outside in New York.

So Loki marked his page and went down to his room. Pepper had gone and both everyone clothes when she found out they'd all be staying in Stark Tower long term. She seemed to have gotten everyone's styles bang on, but Loki tried to avoid Midgardian clothing when he could. He didn't like the feel of it all. So Loki threw on some jeans, a green shirt, a black winter coat and then casually stuck a scarf around his neck before slipping into black shoes.

Still apprehensive about how he was going to be getting out, he waked down two flights to Vanessa's room. She was leaving hers and shutting the door behind her. She was wearing a white sweater; brown boots with wool socks peeking over the top, a jacket in her hand and a light blue satchel over her shoulder. She gave Loki a once over.

"Good, you'll pass for a human," she said.

"Thrilled," Loki muttered. "What's in the bag?"

"Oh you know, an umbrella, gun, pepper spray, blanket and my sketch book. Just normal stuff."

"I thought you hated carrying a gun around."

"Oh, I do. But I figured I should probably take one, just in case we run into someone that could cause some trouble. Which is also why I brought an umbrella…or everything else for that matter."

"Right, because you make harmless objects lethal."

"That's right!" Vanessa gave a laugh. "Now, let's get out of here before JARVIS figures out how to get security back up."

"You hacked that? How—"

"Spy."

Getting out was fairly easy. Vanessa and Loki got into an elevator and rode it all the way down to the main floor and simply walked out. New York City was very different from the last time Loki had been there. It was still chaotic, but in a more organized fashion. Every single person walking the streets had some place to be—including the tourists. Yellow taxicabs clumped the road, many stopping to either pick up someone, or drop another off. There were so many people.

Vanessa very casually looped an arm through Loki's. "Sorry, can't afford to lose you," she said by way of explanation.

"It's fine. Where are we going?"

"Central Park."

So they kept walking. Loki had to admit, it was nice being able to walk around without everyone in Stark Tower giving him the evil eye, or trying to lead an army in a useless battle. It was nice to feel…normal. November in New York brought with it a festive feeling. For what, Loki didn't know. There were advertisements for turkeys and things called "Christmas presents" and sales for "Black Friday". What ever those were.

"Why would anyone want a turkey, they are ugly beasts," Loki commented after passing the millionth turkey ad.

"We eat them for a national holiday. They're quite good. It's called Thanksgiving. I don't really celebrate it though."

"Why not?"

"SHIELD usually is working overtime on holidays. There are always threats from different organizations that target special events. I really only celebrate when I'm undercover."

"Right. So what is Christmas?"

"That I do celebrate. It's basically just a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, a major figure in the Christian religion. Phil used to have these huge Christmas parties as SHIELD and would order food for everyone working. It was nice. I would try to do something like it this year, but Fury's not really allowing any of us at SHIELD right now. Plus, I do not want to deal with Stark on Christmas."

"So what will you do?"

"I'll probably go to a soup kitchen and help out or something. Brighten the day for those who don't have homes."

"You have homeless people? Why would your country allow people to live without a proper place to live?"

"What? Asgard doesn't have poverty?"

"Not in that sense, no. There are those who have less, but everyone on Asgard has a home."

They were crossing the street now and entering what Loki remembered as Central Park. There were people bundled up, arm and arm strolling through the park, artists on the side drawing people and painting the scenes in front of them. Children and families played in grassy areas. Everyone was dressed to combat the cold but still, they braved the weather for a few small hours of joy. It was absolutely stunning to Loki. Last time he was here, he was the man in change of tearing families apart. But now, there were people having fun and celebrating. The people of New York were strong.

Vanessa lead the way to a grassy area away from most of the people. She opened her bag and pulled out a quilted blanket, then spread it out on the grass. She and Loki sat down on it. Vanessa pulled out her sketchbook and several charcoal pencils and began to draw everything in front of her. Loki lay down, placing his hands behind his head.

"Every time I come here, I can't help but wonder just how different my life would be if I didn't grow up with SHIELD," Vanessa mused as she began to draw the leafless trees. "I mean, would I still be constantly looking over my shoulder? Would I be married, would I have children right now? What would I have chosen for my career and what would my family be like? I mean, there are so many things that I could be doing, how different would I have turned out?"

"You'd probably be one of those painters over there, painting lovers and children and selling your work for a decent wage," Loki commented looking for shapes in the clouds.

"Hmm, you think so? Phil is the one who got me into art."

"But you were born to be an artist. Right now, I'm not finding this park all that beautiful. But look at your paper. You're drawing the same thing I'm seeing, only, you've made it beautiful and interesting. Your hands would've found the paint."

Vanessa stared at Loki in such a way that it made him very uncomfortable. "That is actually a really lovely thing to say," she managed finally, "nobody has ever said that about my work."

Loki on shrugged. They lapsed into silence again. Loki watched as Vanessa started adding color to her page, bringing in life and happiness. She started drawing a father and his son that were playing further off. Loki watched her, her face lined with concentration as she tried to capture the pride on the father's face.

Suddenly, a thought popped into Loki's head, "So, you never did tell me what your deal with Barton was."

Vanessa stopped drawing and frowned at Loki. "I'm actually surprised that you don't know, already. I mean, you did have control over his mind."

"Barton only told me about the people I was interested in. I had no idea who you were."

"Good thing too. I would've tried very hard to kill you."

"I do not doubt it," Loki cracked a smile. "So, what is the story?"

Vanessa set down her pencil and flopped down on her back next to Loki. "Imagine you're sixteen years old and you're in love for the first time. Now imagine you've just killed your lover. Barton was sent to get me out of Italy when I blew the entire case up. He was there, trying to help me when I killed Charlie. If you had just killed your lover, Loki, and watched as the light left their eyes, how would you react?"

Loki pondered that for a moment, "Well…I suppose I would be very distraught."

"Which is how I reacted. Barton had to pull me kicking and screaming and crying to safety. I don't think he ever stopped seeing me as the stupid sixteen-year-old girl he first met. And I don't think I've ever forgiven him for providing me with the arrow that I used to kill Charlie. Not like it matters now, seeing as Charlie was a spy. IF he was smart, he could've just asked me to follow him to Turkey. I would've done it."

"Really? You would've left SHIELD for him?"

"Yes," Vanessa said without hesitation, "I loved him. SHIELD never prepares their agents for what happens if we fall in love. Too many of us have died because we let our hearts rule our head. Love is a child's dream, but even as we grow up, it's something we still crave and need."

Loki was stunned into silence. Vanessa rolled onto her stomach and continued drawing. Hadn't, when Loki started on his quest for dominance, hadn't started out as a mission for acceptance and affection from Odin and everyone on Asgard? Yes, it had started out that way. But Loki had let his anger and bitterness consume him. That was why he wanted Midgard, he had wanted, by that point, to take what Thor loved, and he wanted to upset Odin. The only reason he hadn't backed out was because of the deal he had with Thanos. Loki couldn't hide from him forever. Sooner or later, Loki was going to have to answer for his failures.

Loki turned his head to look at Vanessa. She was sweeping the park with her eyes. Something crossed her face for a half a second before she looked back down to her sketchbook. Vanessa made a few random marks before looking around her again. She seemed satisfied because she set her sketchbook down. Vanessa then rolled partially on Loki, a glowing smile on her face.

"What are you—"?

"Play along," her tone was urgent but her face remained trouble free.

"Oh…kay," Loki wasn't sure what to do but finally settled on placing one of his arms around Vanessa's lower back. "What is going on."

"There is a man on our ten who's been watching us. Can't have been on that park bench more than three minutes. He's a spy."

"Are you sure?"

"You hit him in the face at MI6. And he keeps messing with his comms unit. He must be a novice. Bit insulting really, sending someone so sloppy to tail me."

"So, what are we going to do?"

"We're going to leave. He'll probably follow, but I am very good at loosing tails. You get to see me do some of my best work, Loki. This is where the pavement artist comes in."

So Vanessa and Loki packed up the belongings into her satchel, linked arms and casually walked back toward the busy streets. According to Vanessa, it was important to keep up the facade of two very happy people enjoying the company of the other. She kept a tight hold on Loki's arm and led him down a narrow alley.

"Shadows," Vanessa muttered as she pushed Loki into a dark corner. She pressed up against him and was as still as could be. Soon enough, the spy was walking down the alley, his eyes searching. Twice he looked over to where Vanessa and Loki were hiding, but he hadn't seen them…yet.

The man pressed a finger to his ear, listening to his comms. "Yes," he replied, "No, she's good, Kay was right. But, sir, I think she and the giant are partners…"

Vanessa and Loki exchanged a look. Loki was irritated. Giant, really? That was what mortals knew him by. Vanessa was looking between the man and Loki, her mind trying to work something out rapidly.

"This will take time, sir. But we'll get everything we need. Brown looks just like her and she might be better, I've already lost her. But we'll get everything."

The man nodded at an order he was being given, turned swiftly and left the alley. Vanessa and Loki left their hiding place and stared at each other.

"I've got to find out what they're looking for," Vanessa took off in the direction of Stark Tower, her pace fast. It was lucky that Loki was so tall; he kept pace with her easily.

"I would advise against prying. You should be working on that missing memory."

"I'll do what I like. And right now, I'm very concerned with what it is these people are after. MI6 and CIA are easy hacks. I'll start there tonight and try to find clues and—"

Loki grabbed Vanessa's wrist and spun her around to face him. "Put what you just heard out of your mind. They after you for some reason and the more you pry, the more you will draw attention to yourself. What ever this is, it does not matter."

Vanessa's eyes pierced Loki, "My world is in danger," she replied harshly, "everything matters now. Everything is connected. Nothing can afford to be over looked. What if whatever it is they are looking for is connected to this missing memory? I would willingly die to protect what I love."

Loki almost sneered, "You would protect this barbaric world, for what?"

"My world may not be some shining kingdom in the sky with gods and magic and splendor, but it's mine. It's beautiful and the people hear are strong. It's the only thing I fight for. So I'll continue defending my world in the hopes that more people can come to love it as I do. And I'll be damned if anyone tries to stand in my way!"

"Well," Loki said, thrown completely, "you are a mountain among men. What can I do to help?"

Vanessa blinked, "Excuse me?"

"Everything that is happening goes back to Thanos. You and I are the only ones who have ever had any sort of interaction and I am the only one who remembers. We can help each other out. "

"What's in it for you?"

"Redemption."

"You can't hold back any information if we are going to be working together. Got it?" Vanessa gave Loki a hard look that, once again, made him think of Frigga.

"I promise, you have my full cooperation."

"Good, then we will start tomorrow after sessions in the lab."

**Author's Note**

**Ah, sorry for the slight wait, guys! I'm going to try and post once a week, but I can't make any promises just because life happens. Good news! I've made rough drafts of some of the later chapters, very rough drafts. I'm quite excited about them too. I think you'll enjoy them! As always, thank you tons for reading this and please, please leave a review? Thanks!**


	6. Strangeness and Charm

Wow, you guys are amazing! I'm blown away by all of the positive feedback I'm getting. You all are amazing! Please accept my virtual hug? I love you. This song gets its title from the Florence + The Machine song of the same name. I feel like it describes Loki pretty well, so that's why I chose it. Enjoy!

**Strangeness and Charm**

**Stark Tower, Science Lab One-New York, New York**

"And I'm telling you to put that damned thing back in its case!"

"We have to know what it is we're dealing with, Loki, it needs to be examined," Fury leaned over his desk to stare down the Norse god, who didn't even blink.

Banner had finished his sessions with Vanessa almost an hour ago. As soon as that was done, Tony had come down and he and Bruce had attempted to start some sort of research on Loki's scepter. Loki had thrown a fit and now all the Avengers plus Fury were assembled in the lab, watching the argument go down.

Banner was holding the scepter close, his eyes darting between Loki and Fury, as if trying to decide who's side he was on. Clint and Natasha flanked Fury, glaring at Loki. Stark stood between Banner and Steve, looking bored while Steve, as always, looked serious. Then there was Thor. He stood behind his brother, occasionally trying to slap a supportive hand on Loki's back, who, in turn, wrenched himself away. Vanessa sat on a lab desk separate from the rest, legs crossed, doing what she did best—observing.

"You already know what you are dealing with. You've seen that scepter in action. Now, give the scientist back the case, and put it away," Nick Fury had finally met his match in Loki.

"No, we know what you're capable of doing with the scepter. Maybe SHIELD could use it to defend ourselves against the Chitauri," Natasha spat back. Clearly, she was thinking of what Loki had done to Clint.

"The jokes on you, Agent Romanoff," Loki turned his piercing green eyes on the Black Widow. For the first time, Vanessa understood why so many were so scared of him. Loki looked menacing. "The only two people in this room that are capable of harnessing its full power are my brother and myself. Thor, no offence, is too stupid to understand what this scepter can do. Agent Barton and myself however know exactly what dangers lie within this. Or," Loki turned his focus on Clint, "have you forgotten how I used it to take over your mind?"

Those words sent an unsettling chill around the room. Barton looked down at his shoes, agreeing with Loki, but refusing to admit it. Vanessa let her legs drape over the side of the countertop before letting her feet settle on the floor. Looks like she was going to have to come to Loki's aid, as he wouldn't let Thor get a word in. She walked over to Natasha and took the case for the scepter, which was in the Black Widow's hands and moved towards Banner.

"Hand it over, Bruce," she said calmly.

"Excuse me?" Fury raised his eyebrows at Vanessa.

"You're excused," she replied, unfazed. "This thing gets its power from the Tesseract, which I don't trust, at all. And I sure as hell know Barton's not too fond of it, neither are Selvic, Banner and, though he's too much of a wanker to admit it, neither is Stark."

"I don't like this either," Steve spoke up.

"Sorry, I tend to forget when you're in the room," Vanessa rolled her eyes. "Where is the Tesseract, anyway?"

"Safe, on Asgard," Thor answered in his deep voice. He seemed glad to offer some sort of help.

"Under what protection?" Loki acknowledged his brother properly for the first time.

"The same protection the casket was under."

Loki furrowed his brows. A shadow of worry lined his face for a moment, but he said nothing. Instead, he took the scepter from Vanessa, their hands brushing for a moment, and placed it back inside the case.

"I will be watching this from now on," he said dismissively.

"You'll do no such thing—" started Fury.

"I dare you to try and stop me," Loki got up in Fury's face, looking angrier than Vanessa had ever seen him; she took a small step back. Then, suddenly, Loki was turning on his heel and leaving the lab.

"Can someone bring that back, please?" Fury looked exhausted. Vanessa almost felt sorry for the Director, he was obviously working on more than one case. Thankfully, nobody moved to follow the order.

"Loki means well," Thor said in his deep voice, "we just have to trust him."

"He's given us no reason to trust him, that's the problem." Tony fixed an icy glare on the thunder god.

"So, saving my life counts for nothing then?" Vanessa crossed her arms over her chest. "And I suppose it doesn't matter that it was Loki who carried the scepter out of MI6 in the first place, or that he's been helpful since he arrived?"

"He killed—" Natasha started.

Vanessa threw her hands up in frustration, "How many people have you killed, Tash? What about you, Barton? How many people have I killed? Thor's a warrior; he's taken lives as well! Banner's hands aren't clean either and Stark made his fortune making weapons for the military! I'm not sure about you, Rogers, but I'll bet you've got some blood on your hands as well. So none of you should have any reason to treat Loki like some sort of leper. He's helping, now deal with it."

"What's made you all cozy with the low-life anyway?" Tony refused to give up.

Vanessa placed her palms on the counter between her and the billionaire. "Phil would've given him a chance. And I've found Loki's not as bad as you lot make him out to be. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

Imitating Loki, Vanessa stalked out of the lab and started making her way up to Loki's room, where they had been doing their research. She was so angry and so tired that Vanessa didn't realize an extra set of feet behind her until Thor spoke.

"Lady Brown—"

"I swear to Odin, Thor, if you call me 'Lady Brown' one more time, I might strangle you,' Vanessa turned around, looking up and Thor, irritated.

Thor gave a chuckle, "I am sorry, it is an old habit."

"Just call me Vanessa, will you?"

"I swear that from now on, I shall just call you, 'Vanessa.'"

"Good, what do you want?"

"I just want to thank you for being so kind to Loki. It is nice to see that he has a friend, when he will not let me be there."

"You're his older brother, Thor," Vanessa felt her expression soften, "You're the only person Loki can be mad at. Just give him space and time, he'll come around."

"I fear that I may have let Loki down too many times before. I have not always been the best brother."

"No one's perfect," Vanessa shrugged. "Just be patient, you'll see."

"You are a very wise lady, Vanessa. I hope that more people will come to see your line of thinking."

"Yeah, don't get your hopes up."

"May I ask you something, La—Vanessa?" Thor asked, catching himself before he called Vanessa, "Lady."

"Yeah, but I won't guarantee an answer," Vanessa crossed her arms and leaned against the wall staring at the god.

"The other day, where did you take Loki?"

"We just went on a walk around the city," Vanessa shrugged her shoulders. That was more or less true. She didn't know if she wanted word to get out about Central Park. It was her favorite place in New York and she didn't need more spies wandering around, watching her in her sanctuary.

"But you came back looking…shaken," Thor pressed.

"Oh, yeah, well we were almost mugged. Held at knifepoint, but it was taken care of. No harm done."

Thankfully, Thor seemed to accept the lie. He nodded and gave Vanessa a grateful smile and retreated back down the stairs to go train with Steve. Breathing a sigh of relief, Vanessa went in the opposite direction and found herself knocking on Loki's door. After almost a minute, he answered looking agitated. Once his eyes fell on Vanessa, however, his expression relaxed and he beckoned her inside.

"What took you so long?" he asked, pulling books and a stack of files off a shelf and setting them on his desk.

"Got held up by your brother," Vanessa pulled a laptop out from under Loki's bed, which was neatly made. "I still don't understand why you make your bed."

"Some of us enjoy order," Loki replied curtly.

"That's rich coming from the man who declared war on human kind," Vanessa retorted.

Joking with Loki had been a bit of a bother at first. Vanessa had been afraid of saying the wrong thing, least he end up upset and refuse to work with her. But soon, the two found themselves in an easy pattern. They could banter back and fourth easily, without ill intent.

"War is an organized chaos," Loki insisted, "but one should always make their bed. No point in making your chambers look filthy."

"My bedroom does not look filthy. I just don't see the point in making my bed when I'm just getting back into it later."

"So what did you talk about, you and Thor?" Loki asked, spreading papers out in front of him.

"You," Vanessa replied. Loki rolled his eyes, "and I'll have none of your sass," she added.

"What did that oaf have to say about me?"

"Oh, he just wanted to thank me for being so kind to you. Then he tried for sympathy because you're such a bitch to him. And then he asked where I took you the other day."

"I hardly think I am a bitch," Loki protested.

"No, I suppose 'bastard' would be the correct term, yes?"

Loki stared at Vanessa, as though trying to figure out if she really had just made a jab at his parentage. He finally let a small smirk play on his face before shaking his head and looking back at the papers and packets in front of him.

"So where did you hid the scepter?" Vanessa asked, starting up her laptop. She flopped herself on Loki's bed, trying to irritate him more than anything. But he didn't even react to Vanessa messing up his bed. Instead he just let his eyes trail upwards, towards the ceiling. "Oh, magic, right," Vanessa nodded.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence after that, working silently, gathering information. That man who had tailed Loki and Vanessa, they had discovered, was named Jacob Wiggins. He had been working for MI6 for roughly seven years and had been involved in a failed assassination attempt of China's previous dictator, through the Carver Society. Later, SHELD would succeed in assonating that very same man; Vanessa had been a part of that mission. Wiggins was Vanessa's age, but he didn't have her reputation for success. From what Vanessa could gather, Wiggins was an agent who was loyal to the highest bidder and he was good a luring people into traps. Right, best be wary of him. He wasn't a complete moron.

As Vanessa continued to browse through files she came across one that was tagged as related to Phase Two, both an MI6 and a SHIELD document. Curious, Vanessa pulled it up to investigate. It was a file on Loki. Vanessa glanced at him, puzzled as to why he would be tagged to Phase Two. But then it hit her. Because Loki stole the Tesseract, he would always be tied to anything Phase Two related. Quickly, Vanessa scanned the file, before furrowing her brows at something.

"Loki?" she asked.

"Hm?"

"Your eyes—they're green, right?"

Loki stared at Vanessa as though he could not quite believe what he had just been asked. "Obviously. Is your eyesight failing you, Agent Brown?"

"I thought I told you I would not be accepting your sass?"

"I do what I want. Now, why do you ask?"

"This file says that your eyes are blue, like Barton's were when he was—" Vanessa froze. Her eyes darted between Loki and the computer, her jaw slack.

"Yes, Thanos had control of my mind," said Loki darkly. It was clear he didn't want everyone knowing that bit of the story. "They only way I would have had access to the Chitauri was if Thanos could have access to my mind, to check up on me of he liked. The scepter was the portal in which he could communicate with me…sort of. "

"Sort of?"

"The Other did the talking for Thanos, but he wanted to make sure I would hold up my end of the bargain, make threats. Thanos does not make alliances without making sure he has the best hand. Make no mistake, Vanessa, I would have still declared war on your people if I had full control of my mind.

"Which is why the scepter needs to be kept under lock and key. When I used it to take over Barton's mind and Selvic's, Thanos could see their every thought and memory. Anyone who's mind has been shown to Thanos is at risk of being compromised, especially when around something as dangerous as that scepter—including yours."

Vanessa stared down at the bed sheets, trying to digest this new wave of information. "But, after your encounter with the Hulk, your mind was completely your own, right?"

"There were moments when I was almost myself. But yes, after I met the beast, I had full control over my mind. I realized the extent of my damage."

"If you hadn't been possessed by Thanos, do you think you would have killed Phil?"

Loki paused, obviously thinking hard about his answer, his eyes darting around the room. "I do not know. I honestly do not know how I would have reacted. I might have killed him, I suppose, but I could have just as easily knocked him out. Hard to tell. Why is this important?"

"Anything and everything we can get on Thanos is important. He's behind all of this. Except for the bit about Carver wanting me, for whatever rubbish reason that is."

"I thought you had the mind of a genius?" Loki was staring at Vanessa again like she had just dribbled food down her front.

"I do, why?"

"Didn't you parents want you to turn double agent to bring SHIELD down? I would think that this Carver family business would want to try and turn you."

"Hmm," Vanessa tapped her chin, "Yeah probably. Good luck with that though, many have tried to brainwash me, none have succeeded. Nice use of a contraction though, Loki, you're sounding like a normal person!"

"Or, maybe I am just spending too much time with you," Loki shot back, irritated.

"Aw, don't be like that, Loki. You know you secretly love spending all your time with me. Now come on, I'll bet Pepper's brought home some dinner."

"I do not want some of that awful Midgardian food," protested Loki.

"Quit being such a diva. Social interaction is good, Loki!"

Vanessa led the way out of the room, suddenly feeling very hungry. It dawned on her that she hadn't actually eaten anything all day. With that thought, her stomach grumbled. Suddenly, Vanessa found herself pinned against the wall, Loki held her in place, his forearm on her chest, keeping her in place.

"What the he—"

"Shut up, and listen," breathed Loki. "Carver Society wants you because you are family and because you know SHIELD. I'm betting Thanos would like nothing more than to bring down the Avengers. That scepter could erase everything you are and turn you into a monster capable of bringing down your precious Earth. "

"How d'you figure that out?"

"He played with your mind. He knows how high in the rankings of SHIELD you are. What if Thanos only agreed to alliance himself with Carver because he needs a SHIELD agent?"

"But he could've just as easily made Barton a target," Vanessa hissed back.

"You are better than that bird. Plus, your dislike for Fury is not very well concealed. You need to watch yourse—"

"What's going on?"

Vanessa and Loki stared at each other, then slowly turned their heads to look at Clint and Natasha, both of who, were looking at Loki suspiciously. Vanessa could not share this new theory with anyone, she had best come up with a lie, and fast.

"We were making out, good God. Did you have to interrupt us?" not her best lie.

Natasha raised an eyebrow, not buying it. "In a hallway? With Loki?"

"What can I say? I was feeling horny. You know what it's like when it's almost that time of month, don't you, Tash?"

Both Loki and Clint backed away from the girls, looking horrified. Natasha just shook her head.

"We all know what's really going on. I know what a threat looks like," Natasha focused her eyes back on Loki, her gaze stony. "If you so much as hurt her—"

"I'm not getting threatened. Loki was just upset because I made fun of his love for mashed potatoes. He's got a bit of a God Complex and over reacted."

"God, you really need to work on your lying."

"I only bother being good when I need to be. Now, can you please sod off?"

Both Natasha and Clint gave Loki a threatening look before making their way past and up the stairs towards the kitchen. Vanessa's eyes followed the two agents long after they disappeared. She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. This latest run-in with the agents was not what was bothering Vanessa at the moment. No, it was the new theory that Loki had brought to light. Vanessa didn't know how she should be feeling. Should she be scared, infuriated, frustrated? She just felt confused. Vanessa had no idea how she should be processing that information.

"I think I shall skip dinner tonight," Loki was muttering. But Vanessa didn't really hear him. She was knocked back to her senses when his door clicked shut.

**Stark Tower, Vanessa's Room-New York, New York**

Outside, there was an unusually wild storm raging. Vanessa could not sleep at all. It was maybe two in the morning, and finally the information Loki had given her hours before had started to sink in. And Vanessa was absolutely terrified. If she hadn't been compromised before, she definitely was now. Was she always going to have to be looking behind her back for a tail? Could Thanos worm his way into her mind without the help from the scepter? The thunder and lightning outside were not helping matters. They were just heightening Vanessa's fears. Maybe she would go and tell Thor to shut up.

Vanessa crept through the hallways, not making a single sound as she attempted to braid her extremely messy hair. Even though Vanessa knew that right now she was in no immediate danger, her spy instincts kicked in. She kept to the shadows, moving slowly and carefully; checking behind corners before she turned down a new hallway.

When at last, Vanessa was at Thor's door, it became apparent that he was not responsible for the storm. It was painfully obvious that Thor was making a completely different racket. The sounds of lovemaking could be heard behind the closed door. Almost blushing Vanessa turned to go back to her bedroom when the door across the hall opened slowly and a faint light pooled into the hallway. Loki appeared in the doorway wearing nothing but long Asguardian trousers, his hair slightly disheveled. He made an odd movement with his hands and the sounds coming from Thor's bedroom ceased. Had Vanessa just seen Loki use magic? She had actually never seen him use his skill, so it was interesting to see him use it on his brother and Jane.

"You look awful," Loki was leaning casually against the doorframe, arms crossed over his naked chest, his eyes on Vanessa and looking slightly amused.

Vanessa fought the sudden urge to run a hand through her extremely messy hair or to look down at her pajamas. Instead, she did a very casually shrug of the shoulders and cocked her head toward the side.

"Couldn't sleep because of the storm. Figured I would come and tell Thor to shut up, but I see he is otherwise occupied."

"Yes, so it would seem," Loki turned his focus back onto Thor's door, "But I've put a sound proof spell around the door…" Loki trailed off for a moment then fixed his eyes on Vanessa. His gaze made her slightly uncomfortable, "Why don't you come in?"

Vanessa hesitated. Being in Loki's room for work was completely different from coming into his room in the middle of the night, while he was half naked. But Vanessa soon found herself following Loki into his room. The door shut behind her softly and Vanessa le her eyes wander around the room. The bed was turned down a book on the human brain lay beside on of the pillows.

"You can come and sit down," Loki motioned to the other side of his bed as he sat down on the side closest to the window.

"Are you trying to seduce me?"

"Believe me," Loki cast Vanessa an amused look. "if I was trying to seduce you, you'd know about it."

"So you're not then?"

"No."

"Good, because I don't think you Asguardians sound like very capable lovers," Vanessa climbed onto the bed and gave Loki an impish look.

Loki leaned in very close to Vanessa, carful to maintain eye contact with her. "You're forgetting that I'm not Asguardian, not really," he breathed.

Vanessa's breath caught in her throat and she searched Loki's face. She couldn't tell if he was trying to intimidate her, or if he was just joking around. But Loki was incredibly close. So close, in fact, that Vanessa could feel the heat of his body. It was slightly cooler than normal temperature, but Loki wasn't human, he was a Frost Giant who was raised on Asgard.

"Right," Vanessa managed to mutter, "that bit slipped my mind."

Loki leaned back, a rather tense smile on his face. "Look, about what I said earlier, about you being a target—"

"You sure as hell better not be trying to apologize for that, Loki," snapped Vanessa. "I'm actually glad I know. "

"No, I think you needed to know. But I am sorry that you are a target. The things Thanos is capable of are not something I could ever wish on anyone. Least of all you."

"Least of all me? What does that mean?"

"Well," Loki frowned thoughtfully. "We are allies, are we not?"

"We're not allies, Loki," Vanessa paused long and looked at the god. His expression was slightly hurt. "Allies don't sit in bed with each other in the middle of the night to talk. Allies don't have inside jokes. I think it's pretty safe to say that we've passed the ally stage and have become friends—or partners, if you prefer."

"Friends?" Loki's face was lined with confusion. As though the word was a foreign concept to him. "You would trust me enough to call me a friend?"

"You saved my life," replied Vanessa plainly, "you've been helping me. You're not the horrible monster that you keep saying you are. I enjoy your company, so yes, we're friends."

Vanessa could tell that Loki was clearly very touched, but he did a good job of keeping the emotions on his face, his eyes told a different story. Loki turned away and flicked the lamp by his bed out.

"I think it's time to get some rest," was all he said.

It was then that Vanessa realized that besides Thor, Loki hadn't ever had anyone he could ever consider a friend in his entire life.

**Author's Note**

**I'm so sorry guys! I meant to update sooner, I really did, but the Olympics have been more than a little distracting. But I did get this up by the end of the week! Please let me know what you think? Your thoughts and input are much appreciated! Also, I reacently beta-ed a story called "You, Too?" by Jasu94. It is an Avengers/Harry Potter one shot that I found to be a joy. Please check it out? **


	7. Careful

I really don't know if I can say this enough; but you guys are awesome. Seriously, I really appreciate all the support. I was not expecting the response I've received so far. I just had an idea brewing for a while and once I saw the Avengers I just got to writing. I just wanted my idea out there, I guess. Anyway, it's mind blowing to me that there are so many of you that are reading this. So, from the very bottom of my heart, thank you so much.

Anyway, onto the second bit of business. I want to have a cover photo for this story, only, I am absolute rubbish when it comes to anything artsy, and I am not Vanessa Brown, sadly. So, if any of you out there are handy with a pen and are interested in making a cover photo, please shoot me a message and we can discuss things better there. Please?

Last bit. I need to do a disclaimer. Vanessa Brown and any other random OC's I throw in are the only things that are mine. Everything else belongs to Marvel. I am no Stan Lee. This chapter gets its name from the Paramore song of the same name. Enjoy it, babes.

**Carful **

**Stark Tower, Loki's bedroom-New York, New York**

Almost immediately after Loki switched off his lamp, he was lost in slumber. But it was morning now; sunlight was steaming in patches though Loki's closed blinds. He had been shocked, at first, to find the Vanessa had stayed over. She had done a very good job of keeping to her side of the bed. But then, Loki figured, considering how fast he had fallen asleep, Vanessa hadn't wanted to wake him.

She had completely taken Loki by surprise last night. Of course, Loki had felt that between the two of them, there was something more than just a partnership going on. But never had Loki imagined a scenario where the woman would ever consider him a friend. Loki had never had a friend before.

It had been a long time since Loki had awoken to find a woman in bed with him. But this time, it was completely innocent: Or as innocent as you can get when sharing a bed with someone of the opposite sex. Did friends sleep together? Maybe on Midgard they did, but certainly never on Asgard.

Vanessa looked very calm, but Loki couldn't tell if she was sleeping or not. She was flat on her back, one hand resting on her ribs; some of her shirt had bunched up, exposing a small amount of flesh. The other arm was draped across her eyes, shielding them. Her hair was just as wild and tangled than when Loki first encountered her hours pervious. How did hair get to be that wild just by sleeping on it? There was nothing else for it, it was getting late. Loki would have to wake her.

"Nessa, you awake?" he prodded her side. The woman gave a small nod but made no other attempt to move. "Are you all right?" Loki tried again.

"Massive headache," she mumbled. Her voice was not heavy with sleep, so she must have been awake for a while. "Thank God I have a day off from lab sessions." Vanessa removed her arm from her face and peered at Loki. "Did you just call me, 'Nessa'?"

"Erm, yeah," Loki responded sheepishly, "sorry."

"No, I don't mind. I'm just going to have to come up with a nickname for you."

"Nothing 'Stark-like', please."

"Oh, please," Vanessa slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed. "I'm not that awful. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to wash my lion mane," she gestured to the mess on her head.

"You don't need my permission," Loki motioned to the door, rolling his eyes.

"I know I was being polite. I'd like to see you try and tell me what to do, you wanker."

"I don't even know what that means."

"You'd kill me if you did. I expect I'll be seeing you soon. Tah!"

And with that, Vanessa left the room, rubbing her temples as she went. Loki slumped back onto his pillows for a moment before deciding he should probably bathe. So, reluctantly, he got up and went to turn on the shower in the bathroom. Once out, Loki, in attempt to look more Midgardian, dressed in black jeans and a green shirt. He then used his towel to dry his hair, which was in dire need of a trim. Finally, Loki grabbed the nearest book and trudged up to the kitchen.

The kitchen was loud, and crowded. Although, Loki noted, both the Black Widow and Hawkeye were absent. Thor, Stark, Rogers and Banner were all seated on a sofa. Thor and Stark were both holding some small black thing, while staring with intensity at the TV screen. Ms. Potts was with Jane and Vanessa at the kitchen counter. They all seemed to be preparing food. Ms. Potts was chattering away at something while Vanessa and Jane listened. Vanessa's hair was still wet from her washing. It looked almost black, but it was no longer a ratted mess, instead, it was drying in long, beautiful ringlets.

"Your head feeling better?" Loki asked Vanessa, deciding he would rather join her and the other woman rather than sit near Stark.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I took some medicine a little while ago."

"Good," Loki paused before turning to Jane, a small desire for some mischief bubbling inside him. "Ms. Foster, I trust you slept well?"

Loki could tell Thor was now listing in, curious. Vanessa tried, and failed, to suppress a snigger.

Clueless, Jane responded, "Oh, well, the storm was a bit of a bother. But once I got to sleep, it was nice."

"Yeah, I'll bet it was," said Vanessa, just loud enough for Loki to hear.

"Good, I would hate it if my brother kept you up," Loki gave Jane a knowing look. She blushed and turned around to get something from a cupboard. Vanessa gave Loki a thumbs up, which he figured must be a sign of approval, because then she had to turn away to stifle her laughter.

When she turned back to face everyone, Loki noticed that instead of the playful spark Vanessa had just seconds before, her eyes were now alert and worried. Her brown eyes darted around the room for a second before Vanessa gave her head a tiny shake and started to peel some ugly white vegetable. Feeling awkward around everyone, Loki cracked open his book at random and started to read.

"Hey, Tony, you're going to need to have some repairs done in your gym," Natasha and Clint came wandering in, dressed in their SHIELD uniforms laughing.

"I don't even want to know what you two were doing in there," Tony shook his head.

"Hey, Nat," Vanessa looked up, "Come here, I need to talk to you."

Curious, the Black Widow made her way over to the counter and sat down, oddly enough, next to Loki.

"What's up?" she inquired.

Vanessa sent down her vegetable and gave Natasha her full attention. "When you came to pick me up from London, did you notice anything…odd?"

"You mean besides a bomb going off not far from Downing Street just days after the Prime Minister hung himself?"

"Besides that, I'll get to that in a minute."

"No, why?" Natasha was fully invested in whatever it was Vanessa was asking now, as was everyone else in the room.

"Tash, you and I were the only two people inside MI6 that night. We never met a security agent; nobody from tech was running around, nothing! You and I both know that a major spy organization does not have closing hours. Why were we the only two people inside?"

"I—we can't have been," stuttered Natasha. "There must've been other people on different levels or something."

"I don't think so," Vanessa shook her head. She turned to Loki. "We know that Thanos has control of MI6, and we know he paid me a visit before Tudor killed himself. Is it possible that he made sure my way back to SHIELD was clear by clearing the building?"

"It's possible, I suppose…" Loki said slowly.

"But what good would that do?" Tony asked. "Why would he need you alive?"

"Information. Maybe the reason why he decided to only alter my memory was because when he got inside my mind, he saw that I was an agent of SHIELD." Vanessa's eyes swept the room. "I worked on the Avenger's Initiative. I was part of the team that was trying to find you, Stark, when you were abducted. I've successfully sent agents to infiltrate Stark Industries. I helped Tasha come up with her Natalie cover. I was in New Mexico when Thor decided to grace us with his presence—"

"You were?" Jane asked, furrowing her eyebrows together.

"Yeah, I had blonde hair and green eyes then. I raided your lab, sorry about that. I even helped build a profile on Thor after he left. And guess who suggested that Slevig should be the one to work on the Tesseract? Yup, me."

"Wait," Rogers stood up, he looked furious, "You headed Phase Two?"

"No. When we first found the Tesseract, everyone just wanted to see if we could come up with unlimited clean energy. It was later that Phase Two was brought about. I was working on a mission in France when that happened, then I went to Greece."

"But why would Thanos need you?" Barton spoke up. "I was in New Mexico, too. He used me before."

Vanessa gave Barton a hard, sad look. "Because I was there. Because Tudor gave me a valuable piece of information. Something so crucial to the plan…but…" Vanessa looked as though she was trying to pull her hair out. As if causing her harm could somehow bring the correct memory back. "…If I kept that memory, SHIELD would've known immediately and the Avengers Initiative would have been reactivated at once. That would've been too soon for Thanos, he needed more information."

"But what information could he possibly want from you that he couldn't have gotten before?" Banner removed his glasses and started cleaning them absentmindedly.

"I don't know!"

"Just a thought," piped up Pepper, slightly timid, "But I felt that the mission to get the scepter was too easy for you guys. Maybe that was part of the plan, get it into SHIELD's hands?"

"Ms. Potts, you are brilliant." Loki stood up, he was suddenly on edge.

"Why would giving that up be a benefit to Thanos, though?" asked Natasha.

Finally, they were all playing attention to Loki. He was the only one who really knew what that thing was capable of. He knew what it did and he had met with the one who created it. "The scepter," he started patiently, "does not change your personality, not really. It takes the darkest attributes of a person and enhances them until those features take over. Even being in the same room as it can affect one's behavior. There is a very strong possibility that, had the scepter not been on the helicarrier that day, the Hulk might not have come out. The scepter weakened all you Avengers. Thanos must've seen that. I'm willing to bet that after you beat him last time, his greatest wish was to face off again. But he needs to take advantages. He needs a guaranteed win."

Loki turned and gave Vanessa a long look. "We really need that memory. Too much of this is centered on you. Thanos made contact with MI6, the organization set where you were doing a mission. We've already established he has some kind of alliance with the Carver Society, which also wants you. There is no such thing as a coincidence."

Everyone in the room seemed petrified with fear. As they should be, Loki thought grimly. SHIELD was several steps behind in the game that Thanos was playing. He knew too much about them, while they knew next to nothing about him. Sometime during Loki's speech, Thor's hand had found Jane's and Stark and Ms. Potts were leaning on each other. Natasha and Barton were even standing closer, though they seemed afraid to touch each other.

"…But, how did Thanos even make contact with so many people without raising any red flags?" Rogers asked, perplexed.

"What do you think I was doing in London for almost two years?" Vanessa stood taller, casing an annoyed look at the soldier. "We knew something was up when first contact was made. We just didn't know what we were dealing with."

"Fine," said Rogers sounding just as annoyed, "but how did he get on Earth completely undetected?"

"He is a master of dark magic," answered Loki. "My guess is that he was never really here, he just used his powers to create an illusion. And unless the task is important enough, he is going to send The Other to do his work. I hardly ever had any interaction with Thanos when we made our alliance. But Thanos cannot actually come to Midgard without the Tesseract, or something even more powerful than that."

"You mean like an Infinity Gauntlet?"

"What?" Thor, Stark and Loki all turned to Vanessa.

"I-I don't…know why I said that." Vanessa looked both confused and terrified. She looked down at her feet. "I don't know what that is."

"But you've heard of it somewhere, yes?" Banner was peering at the spy with interest. Maybe the brain treatments were working, finally.

"Maybe? I dunno. I can't remember where I could've heard it…it just sort of popped into my head. Does anyone know what it is?"

"Well I don't," Stark shrugged. He looked at Loki and Thor expectantly.

"We have never heard of such a thing," Thor shook his head, "unless Loki discovered something about it after he left?"

Loki shook his head. "Never heard of it in my life." And he hadn't. But clearly Vanessa had. Reality was finally crawling to the front of her brain. And judging by how terrified Vanessa looked; the Infinity Gauntlet was not something to take lightly…whatever it was.

"Okay," Natasha cut in, "so what about the Downing Street bombings?"

"I think," Vanessa's tone was suddenly more casual, "I think those were meant for me, but they didn't work out."

"I thought we established that Thanos needed you alive?" said Stark.

"Not him. I think that was just Carver. From everything I've been able to uncover, that society is so secret that most working for it don't know the top agents or the true objectives of a mission. So maybe my cover was blown and a Carver agent, knowing that there is a price on my head, decided to try and take me in?"

"I thought it was just a terrorist attack," Jane mumbled.

"I might've just been that. But they happened a week after the Prime Minister kills himself practically in his back yard. We have to consider all alternatives." Natasha explained patiently. "Who's going to relay all of this to Fury?"

"Not me," Vanessa. "I really don't feel like dealing with him, plus, I have no idea where he goes."

"I think he mentioned something about a Parker boy yesterday," Rogers offered up.

"Jesus," Stark rolled his eyes, "I was wondering if SHIELD was watching him still. He's been getting out of hand."

"Whatever, I'm going to take a nap," Vanessa said.

Loki watched her go, wondering if he was meant to follow or stay.

**Stark Tower, Vanessa's room-New York, New York**

Vanessa shut the door to her room and locked it. Her heart was racing. What the hell was an Infinity Gantlet and why did it scare her so much? Vanessa paced to the other side of the room and wrenched open her balcony doors. A burst of cold air made her gasp and her arms went instantly around her. It was snowing slightly. Vanessa stood outside, looking over the city trying to gather her thoughts and calm down. But being outside did neither of those things, it just added cold to her list of things bothering her.

Finally, she went back inside and shut the doors behind her. Making towards the bathroom instead. Vanessa flicked on the light and stared at her reflection long and hard. Her eyes were wild and dilated with fear, her face was somehow perfectly controlled and neutral, bits of Vanessa's hair had frozen from being outside and her breathing was shallow.

For something to do, Vanessa pulled out a hair dryer and started tending to her hair. But her thoughts kept straying. What if she was being mind-controlled and was supposed to keep SHIELD off of Thanos' scent? If so, she wasn't doing a good job, reality was fighting to the surface. Or, what if everything that kept coming in, like the Infinity Gantlet, were just made up by Thanos to throw SHIELD and the Avengers off?

Vanessa turned off her hair dryer and looked at herself once more. The mind was the most important asset anyone, spy especially, had. And hers was severely compromised. Everyone around her was in danger. She needed to fill in the gaps in her mind, but how could she if Vanessa wanted to keep everyone safe?

Enraged, scared, and frustrated, Vanessa took the hair dryer and smashed it against the mirror. She didn't want to see her reflection any longer. Over and over she rammed the useless tool against the mirror as it shattered. Then, finally, the tears started pouring down her face. Defeated, Vanessa sank to the floor, brought her knees to her chest and let herself cry.

Vanessa hadn't cried in nine years—not since Charlie. She had brought on fake tears for missions, but those in no way counted. Sobs racked her entire body and Vanessa was soon gasping for air. Soon, the headache that always accompanied crying started, but still, Vanessa could not stop. Nine years of grief were fighting to be felt, fighting to come out to the surface.

She didn't know how long she spent crying, but someone managed to force their way into Vanessa's room. They came into the bathroom, Vanessa could practically feel a pair of eyes looking at her and then taking in the state of the room. The person began to move around again, glass clinked together, and drawers were opened and shut. The person had decided on taking on the task of cleaning up.

It seemed like no time had passed before the person began to give their attention to Vanessa. Surprisingly gentle hands took one of Vanessa's and pressed a wet cloth to it. Vanessa felt a new wave of tears rush forward as she flinched. She knew those hands; somehow she knew whose hands they belonged to, even though she had only known him a short while. Humiliated now, Vanessa buried her face deeper into her knees. Meanwhile, Loki continued to clean a cut in Vanessa's hand very patiently and kindly.

Finally, Loki brought Vanessa's face up, so he could have a look. Ashamed, Vanessa refused to meet his calculating gaze. He nodded her head from side to side and tipped it up and down. But if he saw something on Vanessa's face besides red puffy eyes and blotchy skin, he didn't say so. Instead, he started murmuring the words of the bedroom hymn used to put Vanessa to sleep weeks ago.

"No," Vanessa tried pulling away trying to resist the pull of magic. "No, I don't—"

"You need rest, _elskan mín_."

She had no powers to fight it. In seconds, Vanessa had fallen under and was sleeping soundly, dreamless.

When she came to, Vanessa was lying in her bed, buried under her sheets. It was getting dark outside, so it had to be about half past four, give or take a few minutes. Feeling oddly relaxed, Vanessa rolled over and her eyes fell on Loki, who was flipping through TV stations, bored. The humiliation sank in again. Vanessa hated crying. Tears were for the weak and she most certainly didn't want Loki seeing her as weak.

"I don't usually cry, you know," she said, startling Loki, her voice heavy with sleep.

"No," Loki was looking carefully at Vanessa again, "you don't strike me as particularly weepy. But given the circumstances, I think you have very good reason to be upset."

"That," Vanessa mumbled, "is an understatement."

Loki chuckled, "I was trying to be kind."

"Don't you dare try and sugar coat with me, mister," Vanessa swung her legs out of bed and stood up. "That's the same thing as lying, to a spy at least. You do not want to lie to a spy."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Loki dryly. "You did a number on that mirror."

"Damn, how bad is it?"

"It was pretty bad, but I managed to fix it."

"How on Earth did you manage to do that?" Vanessa gave Loki a bewildered look before she started to rummage around in her dresser.

Loki held up his hands. "Magic."

"Useful," Vanessa found what she was looking for and closed her fingers around the cool metal. "I think I'll keep you."

"Keep me—?" it was Loki's turn to be confused.

"Yes, now, I'm going to do something nice for you," Vanessa crossed the room and showed Loki the scissors. "Your hair is in a right state. I'm giving it a proper cutting. If you try to protest, I just might jam these into your leg."

"Wouldn't put it past you," Loki rolled his eyes.

"Good, you're learning. Now shut up, I need to concentrate."

That was a lie…sort of. Cutting hair was an unbelievably easy task. But Vanessa did need to think. While the lab sessions finally seemed to be working, Vanessa had a feeling that those would only provide more questions than answers. Vanessa needed answers about so many things. Just how deep was the alliance between Carver Society and Thanos? Why were agents of Carver tailing Vanessa? And why was Vanessa such an important piece in all of this. In the game of chess she felt trapped in, Vanessa was losing, badly.

"Well, you'll be glad to know, I'm sure that you are not being controlled by Thanos," Loki brought in casually after a few minutes.

"I thought I told you to keep your mouth shut?" Vanessa shot back, but then her eyes narrowed. "How do you know, anyway?"

"I know what it looks like. Agent Barton agrees."

"Oh, you two getting along now?"

Loki gave a harsh laugh, "That will never happen. No, I just stated that while your memories might be in trouble, your mind is completely your own. Barton just gave a kind of nod in agreement."

"That's Barton for you," Vanessa set the scissors down. "You're done."

Before, Loki's hair had been just past his shoulders. Now it was just a little past his ears and looked much neater. More friendly. Vanessa began sweeping up the hair then went back into the bathroom where, sure enough, the mirror looked untouched. Vanessa threw the hair away and came back out.

Vanessa looked at Loki sadly. She liked having him around. She might just even fancy him. But there was no way she could explore that. If Vanessa wanted answers, she had to go and get them. She would keep doing lab sessions, but, they would just be a cover while Vanessa worked out how and what she needed to do.

As soon as she could, Vanessa would be leaving Stark Tower and go undercover. She needed to find answers and she needed to do it alone.

**Author's Note**

**Okay, so first off, I am very, very sorry for the HUGE wait. I had family over (my family is large) and I cannot write or even edit with a ton of noise. But I am still really sorry for the wait. I am a bad person.**

"_**elskan mín" **_**means "my dear" in Icelandic, so you know. I thought it would be fun to throw that in there. Don't forget about the cover art I mentioned at the beginning! If you're interested, please, please send me a message!**

**Once again, I am so very, very sorry about the wait. I hope this chapter was worth it! Don't forget to leave a review!**

**Until next time, guys!**


	8. Heartlines

Once again, you guys rock. Seriously, I am blown away by all you wonderful readers! This chapter was named for the Florence + the Machine song of the same name. Enjoy!

**Heartlines**

**Stark Tower Living Room-New York, New York**

"Brother! That is not how you play the game! We're on the same team!"

"Does it look like I care, Thor? This game is pointless and I do what I want."

"Loki, this is about working together and having fun!"

"I am not having fun. I would rather be back inside my prison cell in Asgard than playing some stupid game invented by Tony Stark."

"Could you two please just shut up already?"

"Don't get them back on track, Brown, I'm winning! And don't insult my game, Loki."

"Men, I will never understand you creatures," Vanessa mumbled. She was lying upside-down on the sofa between Loki and Thor while they, along with Tony were playing some video game Tony had invented out of boredom. Vanessa had given up on the game a long time ago. Tony was an insufferable partner. Instead, she maneuvered her character around the building while she shot out windows, occasionally shooting Loki, Thor, and Tony's players if she ran into any of them. Loki, tired of playing along with Thor's idea of bonding picked up a grenade and had thrown it at Thor's player.

"Women are far more complex," Thor frowned. "One minute, I'm the perfect man in Jane's eyes and the next she is irritated with me."

"Jane's probably on her period, man," Tony muttered, "Pepper's the same way."

"Don't you go blaming a woman's bad mood on her monthly cycle!" Vanessa shook her finger at Tony. "We are allowed to be angry at you stupid men when we're not bleeding out our vagina!"

"Nessa, not a good mental image," Loki rolled his eyes and flung his game controller away.

"No other way to put it, pal."

"So why would Jane be mad at me in the first place?"

At this, Loki gave a long and hard laugh at his brother's expense. "I never thought I would see the day when Thor, God of Thunder had girl problems."

"Brother, Midgardian women are not the same as the ones on Asgard! The ones here are much more complex!" Thor protested.

"Oh, you and Cap are pathetic," Tony shook his head. "Although, he's the biggest virgin the universe has ever seen, so you have something over Rogers. Where is he anyway?"

"Training with the bird man," Vanessa said dryly. "He should be training with Tasha or myself, but no! Steve won't hit a girl!"

"Can we not make this about Steve?" Thor pouted. "I need to know how to get back in Jane's good graces!"

Vanessa gave a long sigh and sat herself right-side up on the sofa. She casually curled her legs up to rest on Loki's lap and he, just as casual, let an arm drape over those legs.

"Thor, imagine the kind of stress Jane is under. Fury is having her study the skies most nights trying to find some trace of dark magic that might be useful in this whole Thanos mess. She also doesn't have anywhere near the same security clearance as you, or anyone in this room for that matter, so she's kept ignorant about some of the finer details. She's incredibly worried. A worried girlfriend makes for an easily irritated woman."

"But—"

"Thor, just treat her as best you can. I'm sure you don't have many problems romancing a woman, Jane very obviously loves you. You just need to avoid mentioning things she can't know about. And you should probably go get a dozen roses to give her when Jane comes around next."

"And get her something shiny. Women love shiny things," Tony offered his input. "I'll even help you pick something nice out."

"Or you'll just have Ms. Potts do it," said Loki.

"Good idea! Now, tell me, what exactly is going on between the two of you?" Tony looked between Loki and Vanessa with interest. Thor too looked like he was eager for an explanation.

"We're secretly married," Vanessa offered dryly.

"Yes, according to an old Asgardian tradition, when a woman cuts a man's hair, it means she wants to marry and bare him many children," Loki said, playing along.

"Don't lie, Loki," said Thor, "That is not the least bit true."

"My Allfather," said Loki, exasperated, "it was a joke. I may be an evil and hopeless and horrid God of Mischief who wants to end the Universe; but I do like a joke every now and again."

Shamed, Thor bowed his head slightly.

"The point is, Mr. Stark," Vanessa took off, "is that it is none of your damn business. And we're leaving it up to your imagination to decide what is really going on."

"You should know that I have a very dirty one."

"Yes, and I can think up and carry out a million different ways to kill you. So we're square."

"Oh-kay," Tony stood up and turned his video game off. "I'm going to get a drink, any of you want one?"

Thor gave an uninterested shrug; Loki pretended not to have heard the billionaire and Vanessa shook her head. Tony gave a tiny frown and left the room.

"His alcohol consumption has gone up dramatically since Pepper announced that Stark Tower was the host location for Stark Industries annual Christmas ball," said Vanessa.

"I do not blame him. Lady Potts has been very…excited about it all," Thor sighed. There was clearly a lot on his mind, more than just his dilemma with Jane. "Am I to attend this, do you know?"

"All the Avengers are going to be in attendance," Vanessa nodded, "and I'm going undercover as a Stark employee to keep an eye on things."

"What do Midgardian balls even consist of?" Loki raised an eyebrow at Vanessa, not sure if he really cared about the answer.

"Mostly rich people dress in formals and drink a lot. Then an orchestra will play and everyone will start to gossip and flirt, some will leave to hook up, others will start some sort of fight, and those who actually know how to dance will do so."

"So pretty much the same as an Asgardian ball then?"

"Only," Thor cut in, "Pretty much everyone in attendance leaves with a partner for the evening."

"Damn, you people on Asgard like to get down, don't you?"

"We're gods. It is what we do," said Loki.

The door to the living room opened and a nervous looking Steve Rogers walked in. Vanessa had to keep herself from rolling her eyes at the super soldier.

"Agent Brown, can I ask for a favor?"

"You can ask, but I might not decide to do it."

Steve was obviously trying very hard to hold back some sort of frustrated response. Vanessa had to appreciate the man's self control. "I just—I can't find Natasha anywhere and Agent Hill said you would be the best person to ask any way, but…I was wondering if you could teach me how to dance properly before this dance thing?"

"Why would Hill tell you to come to me for dance help over Natasha? She's the prima ballerina!"

"Apparently you're better with ballroom," mumbled Steve.

"Oh—right. I am. Tahsa is not nearly as good as I am with ballroom. She's always trying to lead."

"Will you help me or not?"

Vanessa considered Steve for a long moment taking in his embarrassed face. Slowly, she nodded. "All right, I'll help. Ice Prince could use the lessons too. But I swear, if any of you try to grab my ass I'm throwing you out the window before you can get your penis up."

Steve nodded in thanks and left quickly. Probably embarrassed about the mention of the male gentile. Loki however, narrowed his eyes at Vanessa, Thor looked nervous.

"Did you just refer to me as 'Ice Prince'?" asked Loki.

"Uh, yes. Get used to it sweetie."

"That is far worse than anything Stark could come up with. And entirely false."

"How? You call yourself the son of Laufey. He's the king of Jotunheim, makes you a prince. And Odin kind of adopted you and he's king of Asgard right now."

"Yes, but Laufey is dead and bastard children do not inherit the throne. And neither do second sons, especially if they're adopted," explained Loki kindly.

"But we were raised to be kings," Thor said.

"I was meant to be the puppet king of Jotunheim—don't deny it, Thor, you know it is true. But I would never ever want to take charge of that stink."

"Oh..kay," Vanessa stood up. "I really don't feel like listening to you two go at it, so I think I'll just go and do some yoga with Bruce or something."

Vanessa left the room with no intention of joining the scientist. She was going to make up a new passport instead—one that SHIELD would know nothing about.

**Stark Tower Ballroom-New York, New York**

**Christmas Eve**

The majority of Stark Tower was made up of offices and labs for the employees of Stark Industries. But on the second floor there was a rather nice ballroom. But Loki was not enjoying himself. He and Thor had been forced into stupid Midgardian garments called tuxedos and were standing to the side watching the mortals interact.

Jane was standing with them, her arm linked with Thor's insisting every five minutes that both men looked "dashing" while her annoying friend, Darcy prattled on about god knows what. Somewhere in the room Tony and Pepper were being the best possible hosts. Banner, Barton and Rogers were all together looking a little awkward but more approachable than Loki or Thor.

As Loki scanned the ballroom again he saw the Black Widow enter. He had to shake his head at the assassin. Could she have not made her codename more obvious? Natasha was wearing a long and clingy black dress that showed off quite a bit of her bosom. Her flaming hair was loose around her shoulders and her shoes were extremely high.

"Look sharp, Ice Prince," a voice said in Loki's ear and an arm looped through his.

Loki turned, startled and felt his jaw go slack. While Natasha Romanoff had gone for a sultry appearance, Vanessa looked quite the opposite. Her hair that was normally in perfect ringlets had been smoothed out and twisted in an elegant bun with a few strands framing her face. She had diamond earrings in that dangled down and drew attention to her perfect neck. And the dress was something else. It was white with a white strip of fabric that went around the back of her neck to the other side of the neckline—halter, Loki thought it was called. There were silver shiny things on the dress that were clotted together on her stomach and long lines of that same silver shine that expanded out of the tight clot. It almost looked like the Christmas star atop the tree in the corner of the room. The dress hugged Vanessa's small yet very beautiful frame before flaring out slightly in the legs, probably so she could walk. She was very beautiful.

"Not very many people can sneak up on me," answered Loki by way of a greeting.

"Yes, the women of SHIELD don't seem to have much of a problem with that," Vanessa volleyed back with an impish grin.

"You work for SHIELD?" Darcy cut in, staring at Vanessa curiously.

"Yup."

"Were you in New Mexico?"

"Yeah, I debriefed you after L'Oreal went back to Asgard to romp around with his baby brother, the Ice Prince."

"You also took my ipod. I want it back," Darcy glared at Vanessa while Thor looked confused as to why he had been called L'Oreal. Loki didn't understand it either, but Jane certainly looked amused.

"Totally would have, but it got blown up by the Destroyer," Darcy gave Loki a very dirty look. He just shrugged, having no idea what an ipod was. "Your music selection was pretty shit anyway, I might add."

"No it's not—"

"Come on, Ice Bitch," Vanessa started pulling Loki towards the dance floor, "we're dancing."

"You know, one of these days I'm going to get really tired of you calling me 'Ice Bitch' or 'Ice Prince'," started Loki, "and I just might kill you."

"Nah, you won't," Vanessa put an arm on Loki's shoulder while clasping the other with his hand. Loki let his arm rest on her back while he began to guide her around the floor. "If you killed me, who would you go to when Thor is annoying you?"

Defeated, Loki change the subject; "Nice dress. But I thought white was the color of virtue?"

"Oh, ha ha," Vanessa rolled her brown eyes pretending to be insulted. "You're quite a good dancer, maybe I'll just start calling you 'Prancer' instead."

"I'm afraid I do not understand why that would work out."

"It's a play on Star's nickname, 'Reindeer Games'. Prancer is a reindeer who pulls Santa's sleigh on Christmas and reindeers are pretty graceful and majestic creatures."

"Are you saying I'm majestic, Agent Brown?" Loki raised a teasing eyebrow.

"I said you were graceful, wiseass. Calling you majestic would be a bloody lie. I don't do things like that."

Loki leaned in very close, "Liar," he whispered in Vanessa's ear. She only smiled wider. It was dazzling.

**Stark Tower, Outside the Ballroom-New York, New York**

It was getting to the time of night when everyone seemed to have had too much to drink. The men were getting handsy, Pepper was constantly trying to keep Tony from either stripping or donning his Iron Man suit and women were falling out of their dresses. It was time for Vanessa to excuse herself from the ballroom and go to her own room and take a breather.

To Tony and Pepper's credit, the two of them did know how to run a good party. Vanessa found herself enjoying her time, dancing with several people and having fun making fun of Darcy with Loki. Steve had actually proved himself an able dancer, although, Vanessa credited herself to that. She went military wen giving Steve the lessons and he had responded well. But now, Vanessa needed to get back to business.

She entered her room and was about to start going over last minute plans when Vanessa looked out the window. She didn't know when she would be seeing New York City again—if ever. Vanessa deserved one last night of freedom, right? So setting down her things, Vanessa turned back around and climbed her way to Tony's bar level and sat herself down on a chair just outside.

All over town there were parents signing last minute presents with Santa's name on them while children were curled under their covers eagerly waiting for the morning. There were parties and small get-togethers going on. Some people were driving around the streets looking for shops that were still open, in search of a last minute gift. New York was the 'City that Never Sleeps' but was any other city any different? The world never stopped to rest. Always there were things to be done while time ticked away.

Time became very precious to Vanessa right before she was about to go undercover. There were so many risks involved in her job and once she was deep under, she would never have the chance to appreciate her time and her beautiful world. And Vanessa never got tired of finding wonderful reminders of why she still did what she did. Especially with the threat of Thanos looming overhead, Vanessa's job was much more important. It was not an understatement to say that the fate of the world depended on stopping this twisted creature.

The road ahead was dark and twisting and long.

"I thought I might find you out here." Vanessa barley turned her head in acknowledgement. Loki came and sat down next to Vanessa. "Got sick of fun?"

"Something like that," Vanessa sighed, "I needed time to think."

"You're planning on leaving."

It was not a question. Somehow, Loki knew. Vanessa hugged her arms around herself and rapidly worked up some sort of cover.

"Yeah, I am," she said. "If I want answers, I need to go and get them."

"But you are not going alone, right?" pressed Loki.

"I don't know. It would be stupid to go it alone, but I haven't actually thought about whom I would take."

Loki put an arm around Vanessa's shoulders. She hadn't realized just how cold she had been until that.

"I thought we were partners. You will not be going on the hunt for a super-secret organization that has some sort of alliance with the most dangerous being in the cosmos without me."

His eyes were so insistent. Vanessa felt so guilty and so ashamed of lying. But she had to. Bringing Loki along would be a hazard. Thanos wanted to torture him to the limits of Loki's ability. He might attract unwanted attention. Sure, having the Norse God of Mischief could be very helpful. But there was also the fact that Vanessa's heart beat a little faster when he was around and she had to fight not to shiver at his touch. With Loki around there was a very real chance that Vanessa's heart could rule her head. A spy's worst nightmare.

"Sorry," Vanessa finally brought herself to say. Sorry for lying, sorry for everything. No, she could not tell him why exactly she was sorry. Not yet. "I'm just so…" What? What was she feeling?

"Frightened?"

God yes. Vanessa was facing the worst. Not even a child's imagination could work up what it was Vanessa was about to take on. She trembled just at the thought of the task in front of her. But there was no way around it.

She nodded. Loki turned Vanessa's face upwards to better meet his piercing eyes. "That's okay, because I'm scared, too."

And then he was kissing her. His lips surprisingly soft, the hands cupping Vanessa's face were smooth. Vanessa let a hand rest lightly on Loki's shoulder. She was at a loss as to what to do. Maybe that showed, because in the next moment, Loki broke away, mumbling an apology sheepishly.

"Don't you dare say sorry."

Vanessa wrapped her arms around Loki's neck and brought her lips to his. For the first time in years Vanessa was kissing someone solely because she wanted to. There was no mission involved. No information was being extracted. Vanessa was acting on her feelings and—oh, it felt so good. There was such a freedom in this kissing.

Loki brushed a stray hair out of Vanessa's face, tucking it behind her ear, running his tongue along her teeth as he did. Electric currents were coursing through Vanessa's body. Everything felt so right.

But this would only make it harder to leave.

**Stark Tower, Loki's bedroom-New York, New York**

**First of January**

Time was ticking. Yet still, Vanessa hadn't left. It was almost as if Loki was figuring out ways to keep Vanessa in his company, as if he knew the plan and was working to prevent her from leaving.

But that was impossible. There was no way that Loki could ever know exactly what Vanessa was planning. But there was no doubt that he sensed something was wrong. On this evening, Vanessa sat on the edge of Loki's bed. His arms were wrapped around her and he was kissing her shoulders and her neck; making it hard for her to leave.

"No, I'm really just tired," she protested.

"Stay here then. There is a bed here."

"I can't sleep with you trying to seduce me."

"But seducing is fun!"

"Not when you're tired, Loki."

In truth, Vanessa very much wanted to stay and let herself be loved. But she knew that if she gave herself to Loki now, Vanessa would never leave. Already she had let her feelings get in the way too much. Loving Loki in the most intimate way would be catastrophic.

"Fine," Loki planted a kiss on Vanessa's temple. "I could use the rest too, but stay here. There is no sense in you walking up a few flights to sleep when you're so tired."

Damn.

"Okay," Vanessa relented. She could compromise…sort of. "But if you try anything, just know that I'm never too tired to twist your balls off."

"Sounds fun," Loki winked.

But he turned his back and faced the window, letting his head rest on a pillow. Vanessa curled next to him and started tracing patterns on Loki's back. Hopefully, he would relax easier.

"I really hate you sometimes," she murmured.

Loki flopped back over to face Vanessa. "I know."

He stroked the side of Vanessa's face with his knuckles and kissed her. Vanessa started to feel her determination weaken, but thankfully, Loki broke away and took to studying Vanessa's face.

"Goodnight," he whispered before closing his eyes.

When Vanessa was sure he was sound asleep she slowly got out of bed. Then like a ghost, Vanessa was gone from Stark Tower, fighting with herself while she silently ran, to not look back.

**Author's Note**

**So I did this thing where I made two people make out and then I sort of broke them up. Please don't hate me? **

**I'm posting this to try and give you feels. Feels are fun sometimes, yeah? **

**Anyway, I'm still looking for people to submit artwork related to this story. If you want to know how and where you can do that, just PM me. **

**Pretty please leave a review too. They make me smile and jump up and down like an excited puppy. So please, please leave one? **

**Also thank you to you readers. Some of you are really awesome to talk to! And I appreciate all the love I'm getting for this story. So seriously, thank you.**


	9. Little Lion Man

Holy shit, guys! Over thirty of you have listed this as a favorite! I can't even…wow.

The song: Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons.

**Little Lion Man**

**SHIELD Headquarters Interrogation Room #1-New York, New York**

**48 Hours after**

"We have a rogue agent on our hands and you were the last person to see her before she left and you have no clue where she went?"

"I have told you everything that I know, Director Fury. Now, instead of asking me the same questions over and over again; what exactly are you planning to do about this mess?"

"I don't have to answer to you, Loki. You've forgotten who's in charge here."

"Director," Natasha Romanoff rushed forward holding an earpiece. "The specialist want's to talk to you."

Nick Fury gave Loki one last hard, suspicious look before her slipped in his earpiece. Loki, grateful for some sort of break, slumped back in his chair. The chains around his wrists and ankles rattled.

"If she's gone and done what the informant—" The informant was Loki, "has said she's done, we could be dealing with an agent who's been turned!" Fury was saying to God knows who.

Natasha met the gaze of Loki, as if asking him what he thought. Loki shook his head slightly and focused his gaze on the one-way glass. On the other side, Thor and probably Barton were observing. Vanessa has started an uproar at SHIELD.

"I will not take any chances…Yes, I understand that, but if she has in fact been turned, we need to send someone to find her and silence her. Agent Brown knows too much; if we let her live this whole organization could blow…Do you honestly think that with her skill set that we could keep her locked up for very long? If she's been turned, we have to take her down, that is my final decision. Send our best agents out."

Fury ripped the earpiece out and tossed it to Natasha, who looked very uneasy.

"Sir," she said, "I'm sure all Agent Brown is doing is looking for answers. I'm sure she's just trying to help speed things up.

"Without any sort of backup?" Fury turned his angry eye on Natasha. "What kind of agent goes undercover without having a proper supervisor to report to? What kind of agent leaves base with absolutely no trace of her behind?"

"The kind that doesn't want to be followed," Loki kept his eyes on the glass. "If she's trying to stay under the radar why drag more people than is needed?"

"The operative in question is in line to inherit the reigns of the Carver Society. She's a direct descendent of Carver Brown himself and her family wanted her raised here in SHIELD so that when she was old enough, she could take over and bring us down. Now, she's gone missing. No trace of her is left behind. Do not expect me to take this lightly. We're labeling her now as armed and dangerous." Fury put his hands on the table and glared at Loki. "Now, I'm going to ask you one more time: Where is she?"

"I believe I've already answered that," replied Loki coolly. "But she's been followed by this society since birth and they've been tailing her since her very first mission. If you want to find her, you send agents out and station them in every place she's ever carried out a mission. Italy and England should be top priority, Turkey, second."

"Agent Brown's never done a mission in Turkey," Natasha muttered, confused.

"That is the last known location of the Carver Society. If your precious agent has indeed been turned, she'll be going there first."

**Paris, France**

Jean Carver stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket: his eyes scanning everyone just outside the museum. She was here, somewhere. The Woman was here, or, at least, she had said so.

The Woman whose reputation was known throughout the world of agents. Nobody could ever get a true description of her, she was that good. So anyone around Jean could in fact be The Woman. His second cousin, currently the world's top spy, was five minutes late.

At twenty-three, Jean was higher up in the ranks of the Carver Society than most but he was still kept very much out of the loop. As far as family rankings went, Jean was near the bottom. He was replaceable. But he was well informed. At ten minutes past the hour, Jean checked his watch and huffed impatiently.

"My, my, how sloppy you are," a woman's voice came from behind and Jean turned, startled. "I was sitting on the steps at your three all this time."

No doubt, this was her. Vanessa Brown was stylishly dressed, but looked ready withstand the cold temperatures. She looked like she could have been any other woman living in Paris. Now that Jean could see her, Vanessa stood out. She was very beautiful, but even so, she knew how to blend in.

"My apologies, Mademoiselle," Jean bobbed his head, "I mostly do office work."

"No excuses," said The Woman curtly. "Do you have what I asked for?"

"_Oui_," Jean pulled a manila envelope out of his bag and handed it to Vanessa. She took it, refusing to break eye contact with him.

"Let's walk, dear cousin," she insisted, "we have much to discuss."

Jean obliged and fell into step with Vanessa.

"I must say, you look exactly like our grandmozzer. She has been most eager for your return to the fold."

"Yes, I was just meeting with her, actually."

"She is here, in Paris?"

"_Oui_, I'm not surprised you had no knowledge of it, given your standing." The Woman was very condescending.

"Mademoiselle, forgive me, but if you were just with Our Lady not so long ago, why do you require to meet with me?"

"Oh, I just need to know if I can trust you. And you know grandmamma, the only person who knows all the secrets, is herself. She still doesn't trust me, I've been with SHIELD a long time, Jean Carver."

Jean narrowed his eyes, "Why do you need the list of SHIELD leaks?"

"Obviously, I need their help to complete the initiation mission grandmamma has laid before me. If I am to take over the Society, I must prove myself, no?"

"_Oui_, you are correct. My apologies. May I ask, cousin, what is your mission?"

The Woman was regarding Jean with a blank stare. It made him uncomfortable.

"To kill Nick Fury. And I'm sorry, Jean Carver. I really am. But your journey ends here."

For the first time, Jean noticed he had been lead to a deserted alley. She had held him by the hand to his death.

"What—No—!"

**SHIELD Headquarters Interrogation Room #1-New York, New York**

She had been there. She had been lying next to him in his bed just waiting for him to fall asleep. Vanessa had Loki fooled, wrapped around her finger. She had his trust and had made him to believe that they were in this fight together. And then she left. Not even with a proper goodbye.

Loki was livid. Now he was chained to some desk sitting and enduring abuse from Nick Fury who believed Loki was behind some sort of master plan to take SHIELD down. That may have been his aims once before, but now; Loki had no desire to orchestrate such madness. And he had been helping. And she had left. Loki had no idea if Vanessa was alive or dead because she left without taking any precautions. What if she had been a double agent the whole time? Then she had made a complete fool out of Loki. Loki hated her and he missed her at the same time. How was that possible?

The door creaked open and Thor, who looked worried, wandered in. Loki had no idea if he should be grateful for company at the moment or not. He was seething. Thor kicked an empty chair, moving it so that it was right next to Loki. He sat down and stared at Loki.

"Brother, I am so—"

"Please don't. Do not apologize. You didn't do anything."

"I'm sure that Lady Brown means no harm."

Loki shot his brother a contemptuous look and laughed harshly. "She is a trained killer, Thor. Wherever she's off to, she is most definitely causing her fair share of harm."

"I only meant, she is on our side, surly. She is good."

"I'm sorry, is there a point to all of this?"

"Loki, I mean to offer my support. I can see how much you love her and—"

"We're done," spat Loki. "Leave, now."

Defeated, Thor stood and left Loki alone again once more. But his words rang true. Loki did love her. But right now, Loki didn't want to love her. He wanted to yell at her and ask her what she was thinking and how she could be so stupid. Loki had no idea if he would ever see her alive again.

Once again, the door was pushed open and Agent Romanoff stalked in. She looked very upset; there was clearly more than one thing on her mind.

"Over forty hours in here, it's time for you to go back to Stark Tower and rest," she said. Natasha began to undo the chains.

"By whose orders?"

Natasha looked up. "Mine."

"Excuse me?"

"Look I may not like you very much, but she trusted you. And I think she knows what she's doing."

Curious, Loki gazed at Natasha. "What makes you say that?"

There was a hint of a smile on Natasha's face. "She faxed me a list of all the agents at SHIELD who are secretly working with Carver. She's alive."

"For now."

**On a train, Europe**

How long could she put it off? How long could she last, running around Europe, hunting down Carver members and killing them before the top dogs got personally involved? Not long, Vanessa wagered. She had just killed a family member hours ago. The emotions running through Vanessa's mind were so scattered and different. Jean would've died either way.

Not only had Vanessa tricked Jean into thinking that she had met with the infamous grandmother and that her mission was to kill Fury, but she had gotten the list of SHIELD leaks without incident. Carver Society would have killed Jean without hesitating. He would have died an awful gruesome death no doubt. Vanessa did him a favor.

But that still did nothing to stop the guilt from seeping into Vanessa's mind. Her hands began to tremble and images of his family ran through her mind. Would they be sad, angry, and vengeful? Would they even care at all? This was the Carver Society, everyone was replaceable. Members were sent to kill other members all the time. How many members were there? How deep was this?

And then there was the very real threat of Thanos and whatever it was he was planning. As Vanessa train hopped across Europe closer to Turkey with each passing second, fear spread deeper into her heart. The only thing that kept her from going crazy was the knowledge that SHIELD now had the list of the leaks. While she was gathering answers, her base could start getting rid of those who saw no problem with causing madness.

There was no question; Vanessa had to go into Carver headquarters alone. She was probably one of the only people in the world that could walk in and have her life not be at risk. Anyone else at SHIELD would've been killed on the spot. And then there was Loki.

He was undoubtedly livid. He wanted to end this as much as Vanessa did. Loki wanted to make Thanos feel everything that he had felt. Loki wanted to kill Thanos and find a way to break that being. That was too risky. Vanessa could not run the risk of bringing a loose cannon into this, especially when it was unclear what she was facing. And she couldn't loose him. With a shudder, Vanessa curled up, her head resting on the window and tried to sleep.

**Carver Society Headquarters-The Caves, Turkey**

Maria Carver had learned to be a patient woman. You would think that training your entire life as a spy would mean that patience came naturally. That was not the case with Maria. No, Maria really started learning patience the day her granddaughter was born.

Vanessa Elizabeth Maria Brown. The woman who needed to be turned. Maria was getting old. She hated to admit it, but her body was not as it used to be. She needed her granddaughter to be loyal to her family and The Cause. SHIELD was a constant and bitter threat to the world. Vanessa could wipe it from the world and bring the organization to justice. If only she could be persuaded.

SHIELD had trained their operative well. Vanessa Brown was one of the few agents who had never been brainwashed. Any attempts had all been for naught. But finally, the means to make The Woman's mind right were here. Extraterrestrial technology was at hand.

"Madam," came a voice.

"Yes, what is it?"

Paul, one of Maria's grandsons, entered carrying a sheet of paper. He looked shifty and scared. "The body of Jean Carver was recovered in an alleyway in Paris last night. His neck was snapped. "

"And I care why?" Maria pursed her lips. She was sick of people boring her with worthless information. Paul seemed to flinch, his eyes hurt. Ah, yes. Paul and Jean were half brothers, stuck with their whore of a mother. Out of the two, Paul was more competent. Jean was a fool.

"Madam," Paul gathered himself. "He told his assistant that he was going to be meeting with The Woman before he was last seen."

Maria found her lips curving into a smirk. "I want to know the moment the dear gets here."

"Sources say that she is within the nearby town as we speak."

"Excellent."

**Stark Tower, Tony's Office-New York, New York**

"So how has follow up with the list been, Agent Romanoff?" Tony stuck his feet onto his desk. Pepper glared at him, but still Tony didn't remove his feet.

"All agents have been taken into custody, but none of them have confessed yet. It's only a matter of time though. Fury's not going to go easy on them."

"That's all fine and good but do we have any idea where Agent Brown is? Paris was two weeks ago and we've not had anything since," Steve was leaning against a bookshelf his blonde hair was in need of a wash.

"Well," Natasha let her eyes flicker to Loki, who hadn't spoken much since his interrogation. "Clint left the Paris safe house. He's being sent to one in Turkey. We'll find her soon enough."

"Has it even occurred to anyone to let her be?" Banner frowned thoughtfully. "She's been off the radar, nobody knows where she is. Looking for her will only draw attention to what it is she's doing. If she needs to keep her head down, we need to stay out of it."

"Yeah, that would be fine and dandy but what if she's playing for the other side?" Tony cocked an eyebrow.

"Then we have to find her and take her down, right?" Steve glared around the room.

"I cannot believe I'm hearing this," Pepper slammed her coffee mug on the desk. "You're all talking about Vanessa like she's some target. She's a person, she's been a friend and she's been helpful for months. How dare you talk about her like she's nothing!"

"Pepper the circumstances—"

"No! Damn you, Tony! You all know what she's like. She's a good person!" abruptly, Pepper stalked her way across the room and left. Seconds later, Loki stood and made to follow.

"Brother, where are you going?"

"Fuck off, Thor," Loki snarled. He left the office and quickened his pace to catch up with Pepper. "Ms. Potts, how about I make us some tea?"

Pepper blinked, obviously surprised. But she nodded. "I didn't know Asgard had tea."

"We don't. Nessa taught me before she…"

"She's great," Pepper started up. She needed to talk. She needed to offer words of comfort. "She never made you apologize for being yourself."

"No," said Loki in agreement. "But she'd try and kill you if you so much as stepped on her feet when dancing."

Pepper laughed. "She's spirited, that's for sure. Why are you the only one not mad that she left?"

Loki considered the question. The first two days had been about Loki directing his anger at Vanessa. There had been little room for much else. But after a few hours of sleep, Loki was knocked back into perspective. "Right now, all I care about is seeing her back safe and sound. Once that happens, then maybe I can be angry with her."

"She'll turn up," Pepper said reassuringly.

As they entered the kitchen Loki set to putting the kettle on. Pepper flicked on the TV and sat watching the news. Loki bustled around the kitchen getting mugs and everything else. When Loki was done making the tea he handed Pepper a mug and sat down on the sofa.

Midgardian news was rarely positive and often times just downright depressing. One day there was a kid who'd been killed, the next a woman raped and beaten, and always there was war. Young men and woman who were dutifully serving their country met a gruesome end.

On Asgard, children were taught that war was glorious and that if you did your duty, you were honorable. Loki was beginning to see that there was nothing glorious about war. It was a necessary evil.

"You look awful," Pepper commented when the ever annoying and constant commercials started up.

"Yeah, well it's not exactly been a good few nights rest."

"No, and I suppose the recent events haven't exactly been the easiest for you. It's been one shock after another."

Loki nodded but didn't say anything. He didn't know how long he could handle being in this place without her. She'd been the breath of fresh air, the only good thing going in Loki's life. But then, just like everything and everyone else, she'd left.

**A little town-Middle of Nowhere, Turkey**

Night had settled upon the country. Soon, Vanessa would be making the trek up the The Caves. It was amazing just how much the people of this very small town knew about The Caves, or what they thought they knew.

To the townspeople, the Caves played host to members of a very secret religion. The Caves were man-made and had been there for over one hundred years. Nobody went up to The Caves. The people living there didn't come down either. Or, that's what the citizens thought.

In a town as simple as this one, any sort of agent stuck out like a sore thumb. And Vanessa had spotted two of them tailing her for a few hours. She let them because they had to have been working for Carver. But then, like shadows they were gone when the night had settled.

So Vanessa sat alone at a table of a small café having her last meal and gazing up at the sky. The stars that were so often hidden from light pollution in New York shone so brightly here. Out in the universe there was so much life and mystery and even terrors. Yet from where Vanessa was, it was all beautiful.

Lesson number one: Looks can be deceiving.

**Carver Society Headquarters-The Caves, Turkey**

Vanessa removed her rucksack and shifted some rocks. She stashed the bag behind there and adjusted the rocks again so her belongings were hidden from view. Then wiping the dirt from her hands, Vanessa stood wearing her SHIELD uniform for possibly the last time.

_Right, one foot in front of the other, Nessa. That's it. This is just like any other mission._

So Vanessa walked. No sneaking. She walked right through the hidden main entrance. They were waiting for her. The agents in town had gone back and reported that the long lost Vanessa Brown had come at last. But she didn't come as a friend. Vanessa would rather die than join the family business.

The air was sticky, not humidity, it was as though the air was dripping with evil. Still, Vanessa kept gathering all her courage. The halls were dark and empty, just like they were at MI6. It was eerie, it was forbidden.

Still, Vanessa kept walking. She had no idea where she was going, but she figured if she kept going straight, she would find someone. She was sure that if she went off the path the people of Carver wanted her on; someone would show up and lead her to wherever they wanted her.

As she walked, Vanessa's thoughts turned to Loki. She hoped that he was okay, that he was not enduring any negativity back in New York. Vanessa could almost feel his lips on hers and his hands caressing her face. She could almost hear his rare laugh and see the way his eyes lit up.

_No, stop it Vanessa. They'll use it all against you._

So down the twisting corridor she went. Vanessa was getting closer. She could feel it. Her heart was hammering madly in her chest, surly everyone could hear it. At last a heavy looking door came into view. It was made of metal and the edges were rusty. The air was humming. Taking a deep breath, Vanessa pulled open the door and stepped inside.

There was a woman standing in the center of the room behind a table. There was no doubt that this was Vanessa's grandmother. Her grey hair was pulled back into a bun, but the all the bobby pins in the world could not tame the curls. Her face was the same kind one Vanessa had. There were a few minor differences though. The wrinkles were one, but as Vanessa got closer, she saw that her grandmother had piercing blue eyes. She was not being possessed though. Those eyes were too focused.

"Ah, we were beginning to think you were just visiting the village. But I'm glad you decided to come home." There was a harshness that the woman was trying to hide in her voice.

"Yes, well I don't plan on staying long," replied Vanessa.

"Come here, darling, let me look at you."

Hesitantly, Vanessa walked forward. Her grandmother took Vanessa's face into her hands and studied her carefully. Her hands were cold.

"Yes, once you take over, the Society will both respect and fear you."

Vanessa wrenched herself away. "That won't happen," she spat.

"I'm glad you're going to need persuasion. Every leader should be broken first, don't you think so?"

"I don't—"

"Vanessa, my dear, I don't think you've met my friend, The Other."

**Author's Note**

**Yeah, I had to. I'm sorry. Actually, no. I'm sorry I'm not sorry. **

**I made a tumblr account for this fic. It's seven-devils-fiction. You can submit fan art and shit if you want. I'll be posting the fan art if I get any. Also, every song that has a chapter named for it will be posted, so you can listen there. I'll probably have a few fangirl things there too. Feel free to check it out. **

**As always, pretty please leave a review? I love them so much!**


	10. Seven Devils

As always, I love you guys. I cannot say it enough. Your continued support is incredible.

Song: Seven Devils by Florence + The Machine. (Oh, yeah! I went there!)

Disclaimer: Everything is Marvel and nothing hurts.

**Seven Devils**

_The cold, rough hand came down onto her mouth with a slap, preventing her from breathing through her nose and mouth. She struggled against the bonds holding her legs and arms while tears stung her eyes. Just when she thought she was going to pass out, the hand was removed and came down hard on her cheek. She could feel blood._

"_Such secrets and lies hidden inside your pretty little head. He is most pleased. He will bend and twist you until you scream, until everything inside your mind has been wrung dry. Every secret you've ever kept, everything you've ever seen will be His. Then, you shall be offered up to Death. His first sacrifice in this war."_

_._

"_We've met before. But you can't remember that can you? With all your intelligence, you failed to piece together the puzzle. They think I'm doing them a favor. But your mind is mine and I will not stop until it is completely useless. Then I'll return you to him so he can see, so he can scream."_

_._

_She could take the burns, the knives, the beatings. That was the easy part; she passed out during those sessions. But it was the mind games that Thanos and The Other indulged in. They brought the most painful memories back into sharp reality. They made her feel the most unbearable pain. Pain that felt like it was happening everywhere, but all of it was just in her head. Her worst fears reared their angry heads and nightmares haunted her sleep. He was a master of illusions. Thanos distorted the lines between reality and fantasy. That was the worst part, never knowing if what she was seeing was real._

_There were small moments of relief though. Wherever Vanessa was, she gathered that next door or down the hall from her torture room was an office or conference room. Maybe even a Carver Training room. When Vanessa was fully aware of her surroundings and there were people in that room, she was able to gather information._

_Carver Brown made his fame by killing an English king. From there, the man from Scotland started gathering followers. When he died, he'd started a wildfire. His family members then all took Carver's name as their surname. Thus becoming the Carver Society. Because every descendent of Carver kept that last name. If someone married into the family, they took that name, no exceptions. _

_Until Vanessa was born. To avoid suspicion, she took her father's last name, also Brown. Vanessa's father had no relation to Carver Brown, she was a direct descendent from her mother's side. And now, Carver Society was letting their supposed heiress undergo methods of extreme torture in order to brainwash her. _

_But Vanessa had lost complete track of time. How long had she been trapped, hidden in the Caves? There was nothing to go on. _

_._

"_The Avengers…a most suitable gift for Death. You will surrender to me everything you know about them."_

"I will not," Vanessa thought furiously during one of her sessions.

_It felt like her body was on fire. Devils were tearing at her body. Her mind was for Thanos to play and pick at, there was no stopping him. So why fight? Words to a song were surfacing to the top of her mind now—yes, Cling to the words! They were comforting, a bedroom hymn she had only heard twice before. The pain was dulling. Bliss. _

_There was a door. Or, something that seemed like a door. There was something about the bedroom hymn that made thinking clearly under the stress, the hymn kept information about the Avengers Initiative secure. And the song brought something into focus. The magic Thanos was using was faulty. He didn't have the Tesseract or the scepter to completely manipulate without consequence. _

Vanessa and Thanos were connected through this magic. They had to be.

"Yes, Nessa, open the door. You'll have your answers if you can peek into his mind. Just for a moment."

_Seeing into the mind of Thanos was not something anyone could have prepared for. It was overwhelming. Secrets rushed through almost drowning her. And then she was out. Her mind was so fragile, she went out cold._

_Meanwhile, Thanos withdrew from The Woman's mind. He smiled to The Other, ignorant of the fact that she had discovered a secret. He was too wrapped up in the feeling of triumph. While it seemed that information on the Avengers was protected by some kind of magic, Thanos had stumbled upon better, more useful information._

_They both had information that could cause untold damage. _

**Carver Society Headquarters-The Caves, Turkey**

"Miss Vanessa, you have to wake up."

"_No," Vanessa thought, "I'm quite fine, sitting here tied up with absolutely no idea where I am and completely oblivious to any kind of pain."_

"I'm undoing the bonds, now. Please just, don't do anything stupid."

"_Wait, is he untying me? Focus girl, focus, you can feel the bonds getting loose. Now, strike!"_

The attack was hardly forceful. But it startled the man with shaggy blonde hair. Vanessa slammed him against the wall as soon as she was free. In her state, whoever this guy was, could easily kill her. But there was something about him that made Vanessa think that killing was not his intention.

"Who are you?" she hissed, her voice came out in a croak.

"We have to move, Miss. Please, I'll tell you on the way. Just, be quite."

Did she have any choice but to follow? The man grabbed her hand pulling Vanessa along. She stumbled slightly but was quick to regain her step. The man walked towards the other wall and started running a hand along it. Moments later the wall slid back to revile a dark cave lit by torches. The man yanked Vanessa inside and the secret door slid shut.

"All right," Vanessa slammed the man against the wall her focus was drifting in and out. "Who the hell are you and where are you taking me?"

The man held up his hands in surrender. "I'm Peter and I'm getting you out of here."

"Oh, right. How do you plan and doing that?" Vanessa narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"I've seen a lot of things, Miss. But I've never seen anyone tortured in the way that you've endured. It's not right. And I reckon the family business is doomed either way. I don't think Thanos will spare any of us once he's got the universe. But maybe if I let you go, we can stop him yet."

For whatever reason, Vanessa believed him.

"Where is Thanos?"

"He was never here, not physically, anyway. He stopped sending The Other to check on us a few days ago, after he had a session with you."

Vanessa leaned against the stone wall, her mind scattered. She couldn't concentrate for very long. She blinked several times, hoping to regain a focus.

"How am I getting out?"

"I've set up a few bombs, miss. And I shut down the security cameras. Outside the cave there is a car waiting for you. Get in and keep driving west. Do not turn on the lights until you're in the village. One of our men says that SHIELD has a temporary safe house there."

"I—okay," there was no point in arguing. If this was a trap, then maybe, finally, Vanessa could die. Maybe she would no longer be some sort of plaything. If it wasn't well…then Vanessa could go back home.

Peter led the way down the dark tunnel. Vanessa stumbled along behind trying to get her brain to focus on something. Without realizing it, she began to hum the bedroom hymn to herself. Vanessa didn't have magic like Loki did, but the melody was soothing. Relaxing. Vanessa felt some sanity going through her now.

"Now," said Peter minutes later. He was fiddling with the stone wall again. "You need to get in the car and go as soon as you reach it. I need to go back and detonate the first bomb and I won't delay."

Vanessa nodded. "Where is the first bomb?"

"Not far from here, it's in our lovely grandmother's room. I can't risk her getting out of The Caves alive, she's got to go first."

"Why are you helping me, really?" Vanessa looked at Peter sharply.

"You saved my brother Jean from the same fate you had," Peter's response was so simple. "This is me thanking you. Now go!"

The wall had slid open. Outside it was pitch dark. Vanessa started to leave but turned back. "I hope we see each other again, Peter."

He smiled sadly. "The first bomb acts as a trigger for the others. I'm going to get blown to pieces. I figured I'm going to die anyway, might as well do it on my own terms."

Vanessa nodded. She had nothing to say so she turned and breathed in the night air. The car was around the corner. Vanessa opened the door the keys were sitting on the dashboard. It was then that a thought popped into Vanessa's head. She had buried her rucksack somewhere near here.

She moved quickly, moving rocks and digging through dirt and sand until after several minutes, Vanessa found it. She threw it over one shoulder and slid into the car. Vanessa slipped the key into the ignition and stepped on the gas.

The ground shook violently. The first bomb had just gone off.

"Good-bye, grandmamma," muttered Vanessa grimly. She could not bear to mention Peter. She'd known him five minutes and he'd just proven himself a bigger hero than anyone.

Then slowly, Vanessa's mind began to slip away. She lost consciousness.

**A Little Town-Middle of Nowhere, Turkey**

Vanessa was lucky. She crashed into an abandoned shed. Had she been of a sound mind, she would have known to burn the shed down, erasing all evidence. But instead, Vanessa crawled out of the car, her breathing heavy and her mind throbbing.

She walked through the empty town. All were asleep. Sleep, yes. She needed to sleep. Vanessa found a small alley and curled up into a ball to keep warm and used her rucksack as a pillow. She was out in seconds.

.

This small town was filled with people outside in the streets staring in the direction of The Caves. Clint Barton and Maria Hill, curious and concerned left the temporary safe house and joined the throng. Black smoke clouds were coming from The Caves.

"Looks like a bomb went off," Maria commented shielding her eyes from the sun.

"Or several," muttered Clint. "I bet if we call for backup we can finally have leave to go in there and investigate."

"I don't think Fury will go for that. We have no idea what happened and no way to penetrate through the security systems. If anything, once we report back, we'll be asked to return to headquarters."

"Yeah, maybe," Clint kept his eyes on The Caves. He didn't think they should report in just yet. He and Maria needed to stay just a little while longer.

According to the villagers, The Caves played home to an intense religious cult. Occasionally, people from The Caves came down to get food and clothing, but those people never spoke with anyone. They kept to themselves. The people living in The Caves didn't bother the villagers and the villagers didn't bother the people in The Caves. But Vanessa had been here. There were people in the village that had mentioned her. She had been just as curious about what went on in The Caves as Clint and Maria were.

"We should get back inside, start packing," said Maria.

Clint nodded, following his superior. He wished that Natasha could've come instead of Maria. Not that he didn't like Agent Hill, he did. She was a tough woman with amazing instincts. But only Tasha could have been able to sense Clint's discomfort. They would've talked about his doubts over everything just now.

"The old abandoned shed was destroyed last night," some man was talking animatedly to another, both smoking something that nearly choked Clint. "a really nice looking car was inside, although the paint job was ruined."

"Good riddance! Akarlar should've gotten rid of that garbage years ago. I suppose he's taken the car for himself, no?"

"Aye, he did. It was found in his shed after all. If someone claims it he'll surrender it though."

Odd, Clint thought. That was very odd. Maybe someone, the bomber, had escaped The Caves last night. Maria had caught the conversation too and raised an eyebrow at Clint. They would need to keep an eye out for someone who looked a little worse for wear.

.

It was the sun that woke her. Vanessa blinked and stretched. She felt slightly more herself, but it was still very hard to concentrate on any one thing. She shouldered her rucksack and stepped from the alleyway. Several of the villagers turned their dark eyes on her, repulsed.

It suddenly occurred to Vanessa that she must look filthy. She was sure her hair was a wild and tangled as ever; her clothes were dirty and torn in places. When was the last time she had showered or even brushed her teeth?

_No, stop it. That's not important right now. Peter said something about SHIELD agents being here. Focus, Nessa and find them. Tell them what you know._

"We should get back inside, start packing."

Wait a moment. Vanessa knew that voice. She stared looking around frantically. Vanessa knew that she must look completely insane to those in the vicinity. And maybe she was. Her mind was definitely not the same. Whether it was permanent or not still remained to be determined.

At last, she spotted them. Clint and Maria were making their way inside a small two-story house. The safe house! Vanessa started in that direction, stumbling and nearly sobbing with relief. People were parting the way for her, not wanting to touch the filthy and mentally unstable woman. They shot Turkish slangs at her. She didn't care.

Vanessa reached the door and started pounding on it, as hard as she could in her weakened state. The door flung open and Vanessa fell, Clint catching her. Slowly, Vanessa brought her face up to meet his puzzled gaze. Slowly, recognition spread across it.

"Help…me…" was all she managed before Vanessa lost herself to the all too familiar darkness.

**Stark Tower, Loki's room-New York, New York**

"_You think you know pain? We will make you long for something as sweet as pain."_

With a start, Loki sat up in bed, his body drenched in sweat. He had seen her. She'd been broken, alone and insane. Thanos had made him see that. There was a crash from outside and Loki tensed. Seconds later, Thor smashed into the room looking frantic.

Trying to steady his heart race, Loki raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"I thought I—" Thor surveyed the room. "Are you all right?"

Loki must've shouted before he woke up. He'd been doing that pretty regularly lately. Most nights, Loki would wake up and not remember what it was he had dreamed. But then there were other nights where his dreams were as clear as day. Those dreams always contained Vanessa. She was always broken, never dead, but she might as well have been. Thor had gotten into the habit of barging in whenever this happened. Unfortunately, Loki could not control his volume level when sleeping.

But what was the point of lying. So Loki shook his head in response. "It was the same dream again, is all."

Thor was about to open his mouth to reply when the cool and ever exhausted voice of JARVIS filled the room.

"Misers, Agent Romanoff is requesting everyone meet in the bar right away."

"Why?" Thor questioned the machine.

"Nike has been found."

Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. As a young girl, that had been Vanessa's nickname around SHIELD. She'd been set on always being victorious, always challenging herself and succeeding. So one day, as told by Agent Romanoff, Agent Coulson had commented that she was like the goddess. The nickname stuck for several years before wearing out. It was now her codename to keep her disappearance a secret.

"Brother, they've found her!" Thor let a smile cross his face.

"I'm not sure that's a good thing." Loki muttered getting out of bed.

"What?"

"She could be worse off. I don't think I can handle seeing that."

**SHIELD Jet-Somewhere is the Sky**

In and out of sleep she fell. When she was awake, Vanessa was silently sorting out her thoughts. She needed to be able to explain what she'd learned accurately. She hadn't spoken to anyone since finding Clint and Maria in Turkey. And they didn't try to get her to talk.

Sometime when she was sleeping, she'd been cleaned up. Her hair was washed, teeth brushed and she'd been dressed in a grey sweatshirt and black cotton shorts. There was still dirt under her fingernails.

She had no idea where she was right now or even what time of year it was. How long had she been gone? Then there was the matter with Thanos. What was he doing with his newly acquired information? Exhausted, scared and still so confused, Vanessa succumbed to sleep's pull again.

**Stark Tower, Hallway-New York, New York**

When Vanessa pulled her mind back into focus she realized that she was back within the walls of Stark Tower. Maria and Clint flanked her on both sides, taking her to one of the science labs. A rattling sound made Vanessa look down. New terror seized her. Vanessa's hand and feet were in shackles. When had that happened and why was she being treated like the enemy? Clint held the door open and Maria walked through first. Vanessa was pushed inside after her; she noticed that Clint had her rucksack.

Vanessa took a few steps forward, noticing that Banner, Stark and Rogers were sitting at a lab desk directly in front of her. A hand grabbed Vanessa's shoulder. Terrified and acting on instinct she reached behind her and pulled out the gun in that person's holster. Vanessa cocked it and whipped around, pinning Natasha Romanoff to the wall with her forearm.

There were shouts and Clint raced to pull Vanessa away. She let him, shocked by what she had done. Trembling, Vanessa dropped the gun. Someone forced her to sit down in a chair.

"Well, at least we know that even with chains confining her, Nike is still quick and clean with her reflexes," Natasha commented unfazed by what had just happened. "Although it's great having you back, you should know better than to just drop a loaded and ready gun." Natasha picked up her fallen gun, put the safety on and put it back in its place.

Why was Natasha calling her Nike? Nobody had called her that in years. And Vanessa was the furthest thing from victorious right now.

"That's not funny, Nat," Clint growled. "Stark, are Fury and the Specialist coming?"

"They just entered the building," Tony replied.

"I don't think it's a good idea to let the Specialist in just yet?"

Vanessa perked her head up slowly. Standing behind her were Thor and Loki. It had been Loki who'd spoken; he was looking between Maria, Clint and Stark. Thor however met Vanessa's gaze and gave a small, warm smile.

"Well, Fury thinks differently," Maria said, "He thinks the specialist can help us with a good interrogation."

Vanessa dimly noted the table in front of her with another chair on the other side. Stark, Rogers, Banner, Clint, Maria and Natasha were all going to be observers. Thor and Loki clearly were acting as guards incase Vanessa tried to do anything. Fury and this specialist however would be doing the talking.

The door opened and Fury, tall and commanding as ever stalked in, alone, and shut the door.

"Where's Special Agent—" Rogers started.

"He's going over some notes before he comes in," Fury stated. "Now, tell me what you know so far about the Operative. Has she said anything?"

"Not since we first found her," replied Clint.

Maria pulled out a folder and scanned it. "Once we were able to examine the Operative we discovered a series of cuts, burses, a sprained ankle and several broken ribs. There's a large bruise starting at her chest and extending down to her pelvis. It looks like someone hit her repeatedly with a pipe or something. Director Fury, it looks like torture."

Sprained ankle? Broken ribs? Puzzled, Vanessa glanced down at her feet. There was a brace around her right ankle. With trembling hands Vanessa slowly lifted the hem of her sweatshirt. There was a flesh colored bandage wrapped around her middle, hiding the bruise.

For the second time, the door was pushed open. Vanessa didn't care who it was. She continued staring into her lap. She wanted to sleep, or die. Her mind was so scattered, so sloppy.

"Agent Brown, this is Special Agent Coulson; he'll be running this interrogation."

With a snap, Vanessa looked up, certain that she had heard wrong. But no, there was Phil Coulson taking a seat in the chair opposite her. Very much alive. No, it had to be another illusion. Vanessa stood up, panicked and backed away towards the wall. Thor and Loki grabbed her arms.

"You're not real," Vanessa breathed. "You've been dead over two years! I went to your funeral!"

"Nike," Natasha rushed forward. "Calm down and list—"

"Don't call me that!" Vanessa shouted, struggling against the hands that held her. "I'm not—"

"What?" It was Phil, looking at Vanessa with the kind eyes she remembered. "You're not what?"

Vanessa didn't answer. She sat down again and fired back another question. "Why am I chained up?"

"You're right," said Phil. He started rummaging through his pockets. "We should not have you in chains, especially given the circumstances."

Phil took out a key and gently took Vanessa's hands and unlocked the chains on her wrists. They fell on the table with a clang. Keeping eye contact, Phil handed Vanessa the key and she slowly unlocked the bonds around her ankles.

"How are you alive?" she was still on edge, but something told Vanessa that this was not some magic trick. "Fury said you were dead."

"I nearly was," Phil said calmly. "But after several hours of surgery it was clear that I was going to live. By the time I was out the battle of New York had already happened. I spent months recovering, letting everyone, especially those in the Avengers Initiative believe me dead. Then, I took the position of Principal at the Parker boy's high school. I've been there for a while now."

"Why…why would_ I_ need to think you dead?" The shock of the news was somehow helping Vanessa concentrate.

"It was easier for everyone involved. But once you ran off I was pulled in to try and track you." Phil was using the same friendly and calm tone he'd always used when debriefing someone. He was trying very hard to make Vanessa relax; it was working. "Now, what happened?"

Vanessa took a deep breath and started to talk. "I went to London first and met a woman called Danielle, she worked for the Society. After a few hours of questioning her, I finally discovered that a man named Jean Carver had what I wanted. He was working in Paris, so I went there next."

"What did he have?"

"The list of SHIELD leaks. I tricked him into giving me the list by convincing him that in order for me to be a full member of the Carver Society, I had to complete an initiation mission given to me by my grandmother. I told him my task was to kill Nick Fury and that I needed the help of the leaks to do it. He didn't question it. I killed him."

"Why?"

"If I didn't, the Society would have," mumbled Vanessa. "They would not be as kind. After that, I got on a train and started towards Turkey…I—how long was I gone?" It had just occurred to Vanessa to ask. "When I left, it was January, what's the date?"

Phil smiled sadly. "It's not like you to lose track of time, Vanessa."

Suddenly furious, Vanessa slammed a fist down onto the table, making everyone jump. "I've been trapped underground, without any kind of daylight for God knows how long having my body abused and ready for anyone to do whatever they wanted while my mind was an open book for The Other and Thanos. Forgive me for not being able to keep track of the time. At least I didn't pretend to be dead!"

Phil ignored the insult, "Who is The Other?"

"He's Thanos' bitch. But he's terrible in his own right. My lovely grandmother trusted Thanos to brainwash me so I'd be loyal to the Society and bring SHIELD down. But he had other plans."

"What plans?"

"Death," Vanessa looked up, "Thanos is in love with Death and he feels that offering up the Avengers and anyone else along with them will finally win him the love of Death."

"Death is not a person." Tony stated.

"Neither is Thanos, moron. He's a Titian," Loki said. "Death is the opposite of Eternity, the two of them comprise all of reality."

Vanessa very much wanted to laugh, but she just could not. She had to keep talking while she was focused.

"He wanted me to give him everything I knew about the Avengers. So he kept digging through my mind, pulling up nightmares and making them seem like reality and he made me relive things."

"Did he get the information?" Fury cut in.

Vanessa shook her head.

"How?" Suddenly, Loki was beside her on his knees. His face was concerned, amazed and filled with disbelief. "How did you manage that?"

"Uh…remember that spell you used to put me to sleep?" Loki nodded once. "What exactly does it do?"

Loki hesitated, not sure why he was being asked this. "It protects your thoughts and settles them and eventually puts you to sleep. Out mother used to use it on Thor and me. Why?"

"When He was digging through my mind that song came up and I kind of latched onto it and it uh…protected the information I had because I was so focused on not letting Him see that. But there's something else it did."

"What did it do?" It was Phil this time.

"It helped me see, for just a moment, but that was enough."

"You're not making any sense," Tony murmured. "See what, exactly?"

"The magic used to play tricks and spy on my thoughts was very much like the Tesseract; a portal from one mind to another. So I concentrated on crossing over to his side, I wanted that missing memory and He couldn't sense me because the hymn was protecting my intentions."

"Amazing," Loki breathed.

"Did you get the memory?" asked Fury.

"Yes. That night in with Tudor, he told me that there was a piece of extraordinary magic. With all the right things in place, the owner could use this magic and control the Universe. According to legend, the Infinity Gauntlet is more powerful than the Tesseract. The only problem is that nobody knows if it's real or not. Legend says that it hasn't been seen for millions of years."

"And Thanos is trying to find it, see if it's real?" Thor asked.

Vanessa nodded.

"How did you escape from The Caves?" Clint asked. "It looked like bombs had been set off."

"They were. But I didn't do it. Peter Carver, brother to Jean set them up. Thanos and The Other hadn't been around for a few days, I'd been completely out of it. Peter set up a series of bombs and led me out through a secret passage where a car was waiting for me. The first bomb worked as a trigger for the others. And it was positioned where Maria Carver, leader of the Society, was sleeping. She's dead but so is Peter. But I have no idea who else might've died."

"You crashed the car into the shed?" Maria gave Vanessa a curious look.

"Yes, I couldn't stay focused and awake. So I kind of…lost control."

"Why would Peter help you?" Natasha crossed her arms. "You killed his brother."

"He said it wasn't right, what they were doing to me. And he said that I saved his brother from enduring the same fate I had…he was thanking me."

There was silence for several minutes before Thor cleared his throat.

"I think we need to take Vanessa to Asgard."

"Why would you do that?" asked Phil.

"Because her mind has been tampered with to an awful extent," answered Loki. "If you want her back, fully back, she needs to be treated with magic. No Midgardian methods would work."

Asgard, yes, Vanessa nearly forgot. "You'll need to go back anyway, to warn Odin."

"Why, what for?" Thor narrowed his eyes.

"Because while Thanos didn't get information about the Avengers; he found out where the Tesseract is and I'll bet you he's headed towards Asgard."

"Well, I think we'll have you three—" Phil started.

"Four," Thor cut in. "Jane will be coming, too."

"But she's in New Mexico right now. As I was saying, you three will be there by tomorrow so you can get to the Biforst and get to Asgard. And you better bring Vanessa back in one piece."

"We shall," Thor nodded. "When we return, hopefully everything will be taken care of."

It was then that through her exhaustion, Vanessa realized that she had never gotten the answer to one of her questions. She looked at Phil with a determined look. She would have her answer.

"What's the date?"

Phil looked incredibly sad. "March 31. Now get some rest, Vanessa."

She'd been gone for nearly three months.

**Author's Note**

**Wahoo! This has been the longest chapter so far! I actually decided to split some of it to be in the next one. **

**Anyway, the first section is meant to feel a little choppy and confusing because Vanessa really has no sense of time and no firm grasp of what was happening to her. I'm also not very good with writing a ton about torture, and I think having my mind open to anyone to pick at would be absolutely horrible. So that was why I decided that would be the main element in Vanessa's torture. **

**Also, this chapter was so hard to write. I changed so much about it but I'm well pleased with this final cut. Follow my tumblr if you want to at seven-devils-fiction.**

**And pretty please leave a review? **

**Cheers, guys!**


	11. Earth to Asgard

So, that last chapter was so hard for me and reading your reviews for it almost had me crying. I'm so glad that you all got what I was trying to do with it, I just…I'm so happy with this, you guys. So this next chapter get's it's title from a song off the Thor soundtrack called "Earth to Asgard". Here it is!

**Earth to Asgard**

**Jane's Lab-New Mexico**

"Do they even wear bras on Asgard?"

"Hmm—What?"

"Bras," Jane started at Vanessa. "Do they wear them on Asgard?"

"Never been. Hey—Loki?"

"What now?"

"Do the women on Asgard wear bras?"

"I don't even know what that is."

"They're these things," Vanessa grabbed one of Jane's bras from her suitcase and waved it around. Thor and Loki shared a look and Phil merely glanced up from whatever he was reading, amused.

"That's what those are called?" asked Thor. "I've just been calling them sexy lace of se—"

"Pleas stop talking," Jane glared at Thor. "Honestly sometimes the things you spew out of your mouth are torture."

There was a stony silence. All eyes were either on Vanessa or Jane, waiting for a response. Vanessa set down Jane's bra and started towards the roof. Jane finally registered her words.

"Oh my God! Vanessa—I'm so sorry, I didn't mean—"

"It's fine," Vanessa glanced over her shoulder. "I can't think properly anyway. Torture jokes are the least of my concern."

"But you'll be fine soon, everything will be as it was!" Jane tried to comfort.

Vanessa's stare was icy. "It can't ever be as it was." And with that she was ascending the stairs and disappearing onto the roof.

At midnight Phil would be driving them all to the Bifrost site. They wanted to avoid transporting two Asgardians wearing their formal wear in broad daylight with two women, also dressed formally. It was important to avoid any suspicion at all costs.

According to Thor, the small group would be summoned immediately to see Odin in front of the court, so it was important that all of them looked their absolute best. Vanessa had a feeling that whatever was said in court would leave her scrambling to fully comprehend everything. She would be tired and mentally exhausted and right now, dressing up was the last thing she felt like doing.

Almost three months. Three months enduring torture in a cold and dark setting. Vanessa couldn't even remember most if it. She figured that was because the pain and horrors she'd endured had been so awful that her brain just shut down. But three months with very little memory was scary.

"You've gotten sloppy."

"I'm sorry," muttered Vanessa, not turning around to look at Phil.

"And you're angry with me." Phil took a seat on one of the loungers Jane left up here.

"No, I'm really not. I'm just…" Vanessa ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know what to say to you. I mean, you've been kept informed about everything I've done and I just thought you were dead. It's not really fair."

"No, it's not. But you understand why it had to be a secret?" Phil pressed.

"To an extent. But that does not mean I like or agree with it. I am sorry that my running away sort of blew your cover though."

"I'm not. I finally got my trading cards signed!"

In spite of herself, Vanessa gave a small laugh. It was so good to have her only father figure back. The first person she ever counted on to be there. But she didn't want to talk. Vanessa's mind was tired.

"God, I've missed you. But I really just want to be alone right now."

Phil stood, nodding. "I'll go, but I'm sending one of the other three up to sit with you. You've been alone for too long."

A few minutes later Loki was up on the roof sitting next to Vanessa. Neither of them said a word. They jus sat watching the sun shrink in the horizon until it was time to get ready to make the short trip to Asgard.

**Bifrost Site-New Mexico**

There was a slight chill in the air. It was enough to send goose pimples rising on Vanessa's skin. She hugged her body, desperately wishing that she could be wearing anything but a long purple gown with her makeup all done and jewelry adorning her ears wrists. Vanessa was starting to resent Odin just a little bit. She was exhausted. It was crucial that Vanessa's mind be focused throughout the royal meeting. The task might just be impossible.

Jane was clinging to Thor looking every bit his equal. She was dressed in red, her hair pulled back in a bun, she was quivering with excitement. Phil got out of the driver's seat and joined the group for a few final words.

"When you get back, we expect a full report. Don't leave any details out, we can't have that."

"Yes, Son of Coul. You have my word, I shall tell you everything we come to learn."

Phil nodded and then he turned a stern gaze upon Loki. "Don't you dare bring her back until she's right."

Loki didn't even blink; he just gave Phil a stiff nod. Vanessa stepped forward.

"Phil, I'll be fine. You know that I will. I always am," Vanessa had no idea why her voice had a pleading tone.

"This time things are a little different." Phil wrapped Vanessa in a warm hug, it was as if they had never been apart. "You work hard on getting yourself right."

"I will."

"The Bifrost is going to open in a moment," interrupted Loki. He pulled Vanessa away and Phil stepped back to stand closer to the car.

At Thor's command a beam of light came down. Then the next second Vanessa felt her body being sucked in. She was actually traveling faster than the speed of light! Her dress whipped around her legs and her hair tangled. Before Vanessa could even start to comprehend what was happening her feet found solid ground.

Vanessa stumbled forward, her mind and body completely rattled. Loki caught her around her waist and steadied her. Jane was looking around the golden dome in awe. Thor had his attention elsewhere. A man clad in gold armor with ancient eyes was standing at the center of the room walking down from a platform. There was a shout of joy from somewhere else and Vanessa saw four figures running forward. The Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. Vanessa turned her gaze on Loki who looked positively annoyed at the sight of Thor's companions.

Vanessa tried shutting out all the noise and started walking around the room, trying very hard to take in everything. But either her mind was just too tired or Asgard was just too beautiful…so far. She blinked trying to make her mind adjust.

"Welcome to Asgard, Lady Sigyn," a deep yet quiet voice said in Vanessa's ear.

She whipped around fast, thinking at once that she was hearing things. But it was only the man in golden armor, Heimdall was his name.

"I'm sorry," said Vanessa, "But you must be mistaken, my name is Vanessa."

"On Midgard, yes. But here, you have a different name."

Right. Vanessa was already thoroughly annoyed with the people of Asgard. She already hated Odin and she hadn't even met him yet because Vanessa just wanted to be sleeping. And now there was this rubbish gatekeeper. "I would appreciate it if you would just call me by my Midgard name, if you please."

The gatekeeper only bowed his head in response. Even more annoyed, Vanessa turned away from Heimdall and once again tried to take in her surroundings. She was aware that Loki was watching her closely but Vanessa didn't care about that much.

What did bother her was the blonde man with a mustache who was making eyes at Vanessa while trying to keep involved with the conversation with Thor. He was called Fandral and according to Loki, he was quite a desperate flirt.

"We should not delay our father further," Thor boomed.

So with that everyone, save the impossible Heimdall, made their way out of the building and outside. So the Rainbow Bridge was actually real. Vanessa allowed a short time to marvel at the beauty that was Asgard. It was unreal looking, almost as if Vanessa had stepped into a dream. Which, as she reminded herself, she very well could be dreaming. She could still be in the Caves.

"My Lady, would you ride with me?"

Oh, dear. There was Fandral trying to look dashing, offering his horse to share. Not wanting to seem rude, Vanessa looked around for Loki in hopes that he would pull her away instead. But he was already seated on a horse tossing Vanessa an amused look that said he had no intention to help; he was enjoying watching Fandral try wooing Vanessa.

"_I'm going to stab that bastard with his stupid helmet_," Vanessa thought before offering up her most winning smile and accepting Fandral's offer.

He helped Vanessa up and then taking the reigns climbed up behind her. On Thor's signal everyone took off riding. Vanessa could hear Jane occasionally shouting excitedly over everything around her. The only thing Vanessa could concentrate on was the fact that she felt like throwing up. It was completely unlike Vanessa to get motion sickness. So she shut her eyes and tried not to think about just how messed up inside she really was.

Finally the ride was over and they were at the palace gates. The palace, Vanessa thought, looked sort of like organ pipes. They were large and golden reaching high into the sky. She slid off the horse and continued staring at it in awe.

"Do you like our home, My Lady?" Fandral was looking at Vanessa expectantly.

"Oh, yes. It's very lovely." Vanessa lifted up the hem of her dress slightly and made to follow the rest of the group forward through the large and gleaming doors.

"Oh, please!" Fandral offered his arm. "It is not suitable for a most virtuous lady such as yourself to walk without an escort!"

Vanessa couldn't help it. She burst into loud laughter. Everyone in the vicinity had their eyes on her now. Vanessa didn't care. Poor Fandral.

"I preform sexual favors for men to get information and then kill them if needed. I can kill a man using nothing but dental floss. My good sir, I am the furthest thing from virtuous!"

Without waiting for a response, Vanessa rushed forward passed Lady Sif and the other two and fell into step beside Loki.

"I see you've met Fandral," he said smoothly, a smirk playing at his lips.

"You better sleep with one eye open tonight, Ice Bitch," Vanessa shot back.

"Oh," Loki raised his eyebrows, "is that a threat or do you just plan on not letting me get any sleep tonight so you can practice your interrogation tactics?"

"If I wasn't so tired I would be trying to kill you right now, you stupid…man."

"Your wit is astounding," said Loki dryly.

Vanessa shot Loki an irritated look but said nothing. This seemed to satisfy him because his smirk grew larger. Vanessa bit back a retort and took to studying the people in the palace. Not a single person was not looking at either Thor or Loki. Either they were looking at Thor impressively or they were eying Loki warily.

Vanessa figured that most thought he should be in chains upon his return. And judging by how tense Loki was, he was expecting to be locked up at any moment. His return home, so far, was not a good one. Vanessa wanted to reach over and squeeze his hand, but she didn't know if Loki would appreciate that. She had no idea how he felt about any kind of public display of affection or even comfort.

All Vanessa could do was shoot him encouraging looks as they walked deeper into the palace. She tried to appear comfortable with the situation, but inside Vanessa was fighting the urge to run. There was a fear inside her that was taking over. What if Thanos had done something that made Vanessa some truly evil being, something even she could not understand until the evil reared its ugly head. But what if Odin saw it and punished her for it? But then, what else was there left for her to endure? Surly Asgardian forms of punishment were not as bad as anything Thanos had done.

But still, there was no way to know. Loki didn't talk about his imprisonment on Asgard. All he had really said was that he had been stripped of his voice. Things like jail time and torture were not exactly suitable for the dinner table or casual conversation.

Two large golden doors were pulled open by a pair of guards and Thor lead the way into the throne room. There were no courtiers in the room, just a woman with blonde hair and quite a few laugh lines—Frigga. Odin sat upon a golden throne with his equally golden scepter. His hair was white as snow with a fluffy grey beard and a golden eye patch. He had an eye patch.

"Oh my God," Vanessa murmured, "it's a white version of Director Fury."

Loki had to suppress a snort, with difficulty. It was then, as they all were kneeling before the Allfather when it happened. The demon reared its ugly head and a surge of hatred towards Odin coursed through Vanessa. She gasped as her knees hit the floor. Where was this coming from? Loki was looking at her curiously again.

"My sons," Vanessa looked up and felt this feeling of hatred deepen. Although Odin was addressing both his children, he had only eyes for Thor. "It saddens me that we meet again under such circumstances."

"Father, we must discuss what is to be done with the Tesseract!" Thor cut in urgently.

"In the morning, first we must establish what to do with the patient." The patient? "Is she of a sound enough mind? Whatever information she has that could be useful, we need."

"You know, you could try addressing me, _sire_. And don't fucking call me 'the patient' I have a name," Vanessa's outburst surprised even herself. This was not like her.

"I see you are not happy with me?"

"You're damn right I'm not! I don't think you really see the damage that's been done to my world due to your poor planning and ignorance. First, you banish your firstborn to my world and because he was still an ass hat he tears through SHIELD security severally injuring several of the people I work with. Meanwhile, your other son is dealing with an identity crisis and you think it's a good idea to fall into your royal sleep—or whatever the hell you call it. And guess what? A town got flattened!"

Odin merely stared at Vanessa, as if urging her to go on. And horrified, Vanessa found that she could not stop herself.

"After a brief break from your world, Earth gets visited again by a son of yours who had had his brain picked and prodded by a very dangerous Titian and has his mind set on enslaving humanity. What do you do? The only help you bothered sending was Thor. And as great as Thor was, we could have used more help! My world is not capable of handling magic threats made by Titians far more advanced. And while we may have won, Earth got its ass kicked.

"Allfather, you underestimate the threats made against us. Your job is to protect the Nine realms. Where were you when morons from my world decided it was a good idea to make truces with Thanos? You didn't think it was a big deal at the time, right? Now you only care because Asgard is in danger. It didn't matter that I was trapped in dark caves for weeks having my mind and body torn apart did it? Never mind that without all that, nobody would even know just how in danger we all are in.

"Any discussions that are to be had concerning what to do with the Tesseract and Earth's protection, which I am demanding from you, are to include me. I may be a little off my rocker but I'm sane enough." Vanessa swiftly took a small knife from Lady Sif and held it close to her own neck. "As much as I want to end this right now, and trust me, Allfather, I want to die so badly, I have a job to do and if you try and prevent me from doing it, we're all going to pay a heavy price. Got it?"

Vanessa stood there with a knife against her neck. Part of her was screaming to drop it, to apologize for rambling on about things that even she didn't fully understand. But the other part, the devil inside her was screaming to say more, to take action. And Vanessa found that she was petrified, unable to move.

"Nessa," Loki whispered, a hand gently tugging the knife away, "drop it…please."

"What's happened to me?" Vanessa whispered back, terrified. She let the knife fall with a clang.

"You need rest, tomorrow you're going to start having your mind cleansed. Please," Loki turned to face Odin, who finally, was looking at his adopted son, "Vanessa has been up far too long trying to keep her brain active. As she mentioned earlier, her mind and body have been ripped apart by magic. If you would excuse her to her chambers for the night that would be most appreciated. She needs to sleep."

"Very well," Odin nodded. "We all should be getting to sleep, there is much to discuss tomorrow."

That was the dismissal. Thor, always trying to ease any tension started telling Jane all about how she would love the room the two of them would share. The Warriors Three followed Thor out, whispering among themselves. Lady Sif, however hovered behind and picked her knife off the floor.

"You would never have done it," she said.

"Sif, please, could you shut up?" Loki said impatiently. "We don't need to start anything right now."

Affronted, Sif turned on her heel and quickly made to follow the others out. Frigga made her way over to Loki and Vanessa and wrapped her son into a hug. Vanessa could tell that Loki was not expecting this at all and very slowly, he returned the embrace. Frigga let go and let a hand rest on Loki's cheek.

"You're looking well, Loki. I am so glad that this is how you returned to us, even if it is only temporary." Firgga then turned to Vanessa. "And you, my dear, we'll get to work on detoxing your mind. You're going to be fine."

"I am so sorry for my…outburst," Vanessa looked shyly down at her feet.

"My husband will get over it. Now, I believe we're supposed to be going off to bed?"

"Yes," nodded Loki, "Good night, mother."

.

"And…you're sure that you don't mind?"

"I actually want you as close as possible incase something happens."

"Like if some crazy Titian come in and tries to make good on his promise to offer me up to Death?"

"That's not funny, Vanessa."

"Right, sorry, I'm just going to go behind this awesome changing screen and get ready for bed."

There had been a slight problem. Vanessa's bag had been brought to Loki's room. At first, Vanessa had been very embarrassed, thinking that Loki would be very irritated. But he had insisted that he didn't mind, but if it bothered Vanessa, he would send for someone to make up a bed in a nearby room. But there was nothing that terrified Vanessa more than being alone in the dark. So she gave up protesting too much.

But then she got a good look at Loki's room. There were books everywhere and ingredients to make potions and other magical substances. There was a rather large four-poster bed with a green blanket and white sheets. By a window there was a small table with two chairs. Everything about the room seemed royal, yet there was so much of Loki written everywhere. It made Vanessa feel at ease. But then she'd once again felt like she was intruding.

Slowly, Vanessa went behind the changing screen and removed the dress, the bra, her jewelry and shoes and put on a loose fitting shirt and shorts before coming back around it. Loki was turning down the sheets wearing tan trousers. Vanessa scrambled into it. Vanessa nearly sighed in relief. Never had she been in a more comfortable bed.

After a few minutes, Loki slipped into bed, turning off the lights, sending everything into complete darkness. Vanessa's heart began to race, she was filled with fear. She needed comfort. She slowly edged her way closer to Loki and slipped an arm around him and wanted to weep with relief when he didn't shy away.

"I thought you'd be mad at me," she said finally.

"I was. But then you came back and I just…I could not be mad…not at you."

"I'm sorry, you know, for leaving like that."

"I know."

There was silence for several minutes.

"Loki?"

"Hmm?"

"The Gatekeeper, Heimdall, he called me something…Sigyn. Why?"

"When you ran off, we started calling you Nike, so any leaks would not know you'd gone. Nike, the Greek goddess of Victory. Asgard does not acknowledge such foolishness. So Heimdall would have called you by something different when informing Odin and my mother of you."

"What, so Sigyn means 'victory', too?"

"Partly, it is a combination of two words. Victory is one and the other…" Loki trailed off, Vanessa could sense that he was suddenly shy.

"And the other word?" she prodded.

"Girl-friend. The other word means girlfriend."

"Oh," Vanessa snuggled closer to Loki, trying to keep a sudden smile from spreading itself across her face. "I can live with that."

Abruptly, Loki flipped over on his side and wrapped his arms around Vanessa. She responded before she could really think about it by planting a gentle kiss on him. Loki didn't hesitate to respond. It was then that Vanessa realized just how much she had missed him. She hadn't let herself think much about Loki when she's left. But everything she'd felt for him, everything she's suppressed, was coming back in tenfold.

"Loki," she said when he moved to kiss her forehead. "I love you, just…just remember that."

He didn't say anything, but Vanessa could feel his lips curling into a smile. He didn't need to, that was enough. And so Vanessa dreamed, and she felt safe.

**Author's Note**

**Yeah, I meant to have this up way earlier but life happened. And then there were Internet problems. But now it's up! I'm sorry for the wait. This was another hard one to write. Pretty please write a review?**

**Cheers, guys!**


	12. Collide

Once again, I love you. Also, Everything is Marvel and nothing hurts…except Vanessa, she's mine. The song: Collide by Howie Day.

**Collide**

**Loki's Chambers-The Palace, Asgard**

It was odd waking up in his own bed and finding a woman curled up next to him. Not even just any woman, Vanessa. She lay with her head on Loki's chest, her hair as wild as ever looking peaceful. Normally, if Loki were to have a woman over, he would have them leave once he was done with her. But then again, Loki and Vanessa hadn't really done anything. It had never been appropriate.

Yet here she was, unlike the morning three months ago, Vanessa was here, with him. Only this time, she was more than a little worse for wear. Physically, it looked as though she had been thrown repeatedly out of a building. Her shirt had ridden up a bit revealing the bandages around her rib cadge, but there was a very nasty bruise peaking out. Cuts and bruises covered her legs with a few on her arms. There was a bruise running from her temple to the middle of her forehead, but that one was well on its way to healing.

It made Loki wonder just how many times she had come home from a mission looking like this. How often was she sent out and ordered to fight, coming back looking awful. But wounds heal; Vanessa had severe emotional and mental scaring going on.

Her outburst last night had been so out of her character the Loki didn't even know how to react until she managed to have taken Sif's knife. The entire room had gone to a stand still and Loki could feel his stomach drop.

It was clear that Thanos had planted some sort of devil inside Vanessa's mind. Making a top operative of SHIELD loose control of her emotions and actions would be Thanos' idea of fun. Not only could he drive her to insanity, but if everything worked out right, Vanessa could bring down SHEILD and compromise the Nine Realms.

There was one major advantage, however. Thanos had no idea what sort of healing powers were practiced by those on Asgard. It would take a lot of work, but the enchantresses who would start their work on Vanessa in a few short hours could rid her of the devil.

It was going to be a long and grueling process.

With some effort, Loki managed to detangle himself from Vanessa so he could wash. He had a feeling that, given her state, she would not wake for some time. Loki padded over to the bathroom and shut the door. Loki splashed water on his face in an effort to wake himself up more and then got dressed, still tired from the past few days. It had been a very hectic week and really, Loki just wanted to relax. Who knew if and when he could actually do that. But no, Odin was requiring a counsel with Thor and Loki.

While Vanessa had her mind detoxed, Loki was going to be sitting with Odin. It was hard to decide upon which was worse. Probably dealing with Odin, Loki figured. There would undoubtedly be a long lecture directed at Loki and after that was over he would be feeling like total rubbish. Then, Odin would turn all his focus upon Thor and the two would discuss the past month's events as though Loki wasn't in the room. Like always.

Trying to remain positive, Loki exited the bathroom. Vanessa was still sleeping, but she had curled herself into a ball, clinging to Loki's pillow looking troubled. Would she forever need a companion by her side to keep the nightmares at bay?

Loki glanced at a clock and figured that t was time to wake her. Hopefully, his mother along with the other enchantresses would come up with a diagnosis by the end of today. Gently as he could, Loki tried to nudge Vanessa awake.

Her reaction was slow, but it was clear that he had woken her from a very vivid nightmare. Vanessa grabbed the first thing she could get her hands on (Loki's pillow) and held it in front of her defensively.

Loki, refusing to let Vanessa see even a hit of worry, raised his eyebrows. It took her a moment, then Vanessa shook the hair from her eyes and slowly set down the pillow.

"What? Can't use a pillow as a weapon?" Loki asked.

"I could easily knock out a man with one, I just don't think it would be appropriate right now," Vanessa responded, her voice heavy with sleep.

"Come on, Nessa. You have a long day ahead of you. You need to get up."

"What exactly am I doing today?"

Loki was trying to continue treating Vanessa as normally as possible. She was going to be in situations from now on where everyone looked on her with a critical and careful eye. He wanted to make her feel as comfortable as possible. But Loki could tell that Vanessa knew his thought process. She seemed grateful for the act and played along.

"You're going to be doing a lot of talking about your life. Then, probably you'll have your mind examined for any false memories," replied Loki evenly.

Vanessa scrunched her nose. "How on Earth could they spot false memories?"

"False ones, to an outsider, leave traces, they don't quite fit in with the real ones."

Vanessa sat up a little straighter, tying her hair back into a braid. "And are you going to be there?"

"No," Loki said after a pause. "The Allfather wants to talk with me and Thor."

"If it has to do with Earth's protection, you'll tell me what is said, won't you?" Vanessa was peering at Loki carefully, looking for a lie.

"I think it would be unwise not to tell you," replied Loki, "We should get you some breakfast."

Vanessa shook her head. "I can't eat. I'm too nervous."

"Fine, but you do need to make yourself presentable. I'll leave you to get ready," Loki swooped down and kissed Vanessa lightly on the lips before leaving his room for the dining hall.

As soon as Loki shut the door behind him, he let worry line his face. He couldn't help it. Vanessa was worrying him to no end. He didn't know what to say to her, which was infuriating. Having been through Thanos' methods of torture, Loki should know what to say to be of some comfort. But it seemed that the right words never came. So absorbed in his thoughts, Loki didn't even notice the disapproving looks he was receiving, nor did he notice that Lady Sif had fallen into step with him.

"Good morrow, Loki," she said, finally making Loki jump.

"Morning, Sif," Loki muttered trying to decide if he was in the mood to tolerate the Lady. "What do you want?"

"I am just going to the dining hall, same as you," she responded innocently.

"Yes, but why are you walking with me?" snapped Loki. "What do you really want?"

Sif seemed to be choosing her words carefully. "Your Midgardian friend, she can be trusted, right? She's not some spy?"

"If Thanos wanted to spy on Asgard, he would have sent someone more powerful than a mortal."

"So, like you?"

"Yes, Sif, like me. However, I have not had contact with the Titian for over two years. Besides, he no longer needs a spy. He knows where the Tesseract is and he plans on taking it."

"But it was she who gave up the location. How are you sure the woman can be trusted? You saw how she was with the Allfather last night! She's dangerous!"

Infuriated, and wanting to lash out, Loki turned on Sif and shoved her against the wall, pinning her. He looked on the Lady with contempt.

"Tell me, _my Lady_, when was the last time you had your mind picked apart and shattered by someone far more powerful than you? Nobody stands a chance against that kind of magic, especially when your body's been broken. If you don't take my word, take Thor's. He trusts Vanessa Brown as much as I do."

Sif was afraid, Loki could sense that and it made a truly wicked smile spread across his face.

"What's this?"

Damn. It was Volstagg. Loki stepped away from Sif and stood straighter.

"Nothing, just some friendly banter."

**Outside the Healing Room-The Palace, Asgard**

Loki was agitated. His bad mood filled the entire hallway and it did nothing to soothe Vanessa's nerves. She sighed and smoothed her dress for the third time just as a side door opened. Frigga came out wearing a very friendly smile. The Queen embraced Loki before holding him out at arms length.

"If you're going to threaten the Lady Sif, you need to make sure you don't have an audience, Loki," Figga chastised but there was a hit of amusement behind her stern tone.

"So I can threaten the quim as long I am not being watched?"

Frigga shot Loki a glare at the use of the word, "quim". Vanessa had to stifle a snort of laughter.

"What happened with Lady Sif?" she asked innocently.

"She was just being her usual bitchy self and I got sick of listening to her talking," muttered Loki. That was only half the truth, Vanessa could tell. Loki shrugged his shoulders as another death glare was sent his way by Frigga.

Vanessa was not in the mood to push the topic further. She only bobbed her head and looked around the hallway nervously.

"So, what exactly will you be doing to me?" she asked.

Frigga turned her kind eyes to Vanessa. "We are just talking today, trying to get your general background. Loki was given your case files from the son of Coul which will be helpful to us in detecting flaws in your memories—"

"When did you get my case files?" Vanessa whipped her head back at Loki, startled.

"The night you returned."

"You didn't read them, did you?" the thought of Loki knowing in intimate detail all the cases she had worked was terrifying. Vanessa didn't think she wanted anyone seeing those, least of all Loki. But Loki just shook his head. Vanessa held back a sigh of relief. "Anything else?"

"We will be healing all those injuries on your body and giving you a potion to calm your nerves. We cannot have another outburst like last night. I do not think that next time my husband will be as kind."

Oh, yes, the ever terrible Odin, Allfather of the Nine Realms. He did not strike Vanessa as a very forgiving man.

"And speaking of," Firgga turned her focus back on Loki, "I believe you are required to be in counsel with your father and Thor?"

Loki was biting back a retort about Odin not really being his father, Vanessa could see it written all over his face. But he seemed to think better of it and sighed instead. He made to leave, but seemed to think better of it for a moment. For then Loki was turning back and tipping Vanessa's chin upwards. He planted a very quick kiss on her lips before planting one on his mother's cheek. Then he was walking swiftly down the corridor and out of sight.

Vanessa felt her cheeks flame. He had just kissed her right in front of his mother. What the hell did that even mean? And would Frigga please stop staring at her? She kept looking between the spot where Loki had disappeared and Vanessa fondly. Then, abruptly, Frigga pulled Vanessa in a warm embrace.

The sudden urge to cry overwhelmed Vanessa. Furiously, she blinked back the tears. Was this what it felt like to be embraced by a mother?

"Thank you," said Frigga finally. "Not even with Kaerasta was Loki this himself.

Puzzled, Vanessa pulled out of the embrace. "Who's Kaerasta?"

Frigga looked panicked for a second, as though she had said something she shouldn't have. "She was just…a very, very long time ago, Loki was quite fond of her."

"_How very informative",_ thought Vanessa sarcastically. "Oh, what happened?"

"She died."

**A deserted corridor-The Palace, Asgard**

After the long and tiring session, Vanessa had refused an escort back to her, or rather Loki's, chambers. She had just wanted to be alone, and now Vanessa had gotten herself hopelessly lost.

Vanessa hated talking about herself. Going through her case file and talking about what she remembered had been hell. Varying degrees of guilt were brought up to the surface and it was all Vanessa could do to not cry. She'd been fighting that urge for days now and that feeling of weakness left Vanessa frustrated and ashamed.

And then Frigga had mentioned a girl named Kaerasta. Why hadn't Loki ever mentioned her before? He knew all about Charlie. Vanessa didn't feel jealous, merely concerned. How had this woman died?

"Vanessa!"

Vanessa stopped walking and turned slowly, that odd feeling of paranoia seeping into her skin as it so often did now. Her heart slowed slightly when Vanessa realized that it was only Thor.

"Where have you been?" Thor looked anxious.

"I uh…got lost. Did something happen?"

"When we got out of counsel with father, Loki was told you were back in your room. But when he went to check up on you, you weren't there. He and the Warriors Three and myself have been looking for you for hours."

Had it really been hours since she had gotten out of the healing room? Vanessa had never before lost track of time. Well, before she met Thanos anyway.

"I'm so sorry to have caused worry. I just lost track of things," Vanessa managed.

"There has been no harm done," Thor smiled kindly. "Let me escort you back to your chambers."

Vanessa wearily took Thor's arm and he began to lead her through the corridors and back towards the busyness of the palace. But before there were too many prying ears, Vanessa wanted answers that she was sure Thor could provide.

"Thor, I have a question?" she asked timidly.

"Yes?"

"It's just…who is Kaerasta?"

Thor stopped and looked at Vanessa sharply. "How do you know about her?"

"It's just…your mother mentioned her to me. I wondered who she was to Loki is all."

"Why do you not ask him then?"

"Because knowing Loki, if I asked about a past lover who died, he'd get upset. And I gather that I've already caused him enough trouble. Besides, when I do ask him about it, I'd like to know what I'm walking into. So please, Thor, help me."

Thor gave Vanessa a long, hard look before relenting. He continued walking.

"When we were little, Kaerasta was playmate to Loki and I and a cousin to Sif. But as we got older, there was an undeniable connection between her and Loki. It was obvious to everyone that they were in love."

"And…?" Vanessa pressed.

"But Kaerasta was betrothed to a much older warrior. She and Loki did not care though, they became lovers because Kaerasta claimed that her betrothed was horrible, that he was abusive and she in no way loved him or intended to marry him. I think that she and Loki figured that if she became the lover of a prince of Asgard, she would be free of her prior engagement."

"But that wasn't the case?"

"No," Thor shook his head. "Her betrothed found out about the affair and sought a private counsel with our father. At the time, we didn't know what was being discussed; all we knew was that Kaerasta was to be married off with haste. "

"But you know now what was said?"

"Yes, the warrior, Moroingi, was with Odin at the battle in Jotunheim, he knew what Loki was from the start and threatened to expose father's secret if he did not get Kaerasta."

"But…couldn't Odin just put Moroingi to death for that?"

"That would have been too suspicious. So, father accepted Moroingi's terms and preparations for the wedding were made in haste. But Kaerasta took matters into her own hands and the night before the wedding, she offered herself unto Death. "

Vanessa froze and brought a hand to her mouth. She had no idea what she was expecting from Thor's tale, but suicide was not one of them. Loki had lost one hundred times over. He lost Kaerasta in the chance for a happy marriage and her lost her permanently when she took her life. It explained so much of the bitterness and so much of why Loki was so reserved.

Vanessa and Thor continued walking, both, it seemed were deep in thought. Their footsteps echoed through the empty hallways until at last, they reached a more crowded section of the Palace. They were near the dining hall judging by all the food carts whizzing by. It then struck Vanessa that she had not eaten anything all day. The only thing she had was the relaxation potion. But still, Vanessa was not hungry in the slightest. All she wanted was to curl up in bed with a book. The only problem was that Vanessa had no idea how to read Asgardian language.

"You've found her!"

Loki came striding into view, his face flooded with relief. Vanessa felt a wave of guilt rush through her. She knew that she had given Loki quite a scare.

"I lost track of time and got lost," Vanessa tried lamely. Loki didn't seem to hear; he just tipped Vanessa's face upward and examined her face.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired, and a little eager to start training my body how to fight again."

The only thing Vanessa had particularly enjoyed about her session was that her body was no longer battered and broken. Everything had been healed perfectly by magic and anything that would have left a lasting scar, had vanished.

"We'll get you to bed then," Loki put an arm around Vanessa's shoulders and muttered a 'thank you' to Thor, who gave Loki a small smile.

It took several minutes of walking for Vanessa's brain to make the connection. Somewhere in the time that Vanessa had been gone, Thor and Loki must have settled their differences. Or, at least settled some of them. The two milk brothers had been more together and civil with one another than they had been since Vanessa knew them. Things were especially better on Loki's end. He was no longer living to make sarcastic comments that put Thor to shame, no matter how much he wanted to. Maybe some good had some out of her leaving?

"You and Thor…" Vanessa started, trying to find the words to form a sentence. "What happened with you two?"

"I'm not sure I know what you mean," sighed Loki.

"You know damn well what I mean. Stop being a vague little bastard," Vanessa felt her temper flare up again. Loki shot her an amused look and Vanessa felt shamed. "Sorry," she muttered.

"I think I prefer that to 'Ice Bitch', actually," they reached Loki's chambers and he pushed his door open before stepping aside to let Vanessa in first.

"I'm not going to stop calling you that, I'm quite fond of 'Ice Bitch'," Vanessa flopped down onto the bed rather ungracefully; she curled herself into a ball, not bothering to take her shoes off. "I'm sorry I scared you."

"Don't worry about it," Loki was out of sight doing something on the other side of the room.

"Do not tell me not to worry. Don't you dare," Vanessa sat up and spun around to glare furiously at Loki. "I have every reason to worry. I don't lose track of time, ever and today I was gone for hours! I can't look at shadows without feeling afraid and I don't know what's going on with my mind! So don't you _ever_ tell me not to worry about it, I've never been more afraid in my life!"

Loki seemed to be mulling over his words carefully. He was staring at Vanessa thoughtfully, not at all fazed by her explosion. He took several quick steps across the room and took Vanessa into his arms.

"You are safe here—"

"I'm not, He's coming here and he said I was going to be his first sac—"

Loki pressed a finger to Vanessa's lips. "No, when He is close to arriving, Heimdall will alert us and we'll get you out. Besides, there are several people on Asgard that are providing you with protective enchantments Thanos does not know about. So, if by chance he does get in before we can get you to safety he has to undo everything that has been put up before he can do anything to you."

"And you did this without asking?" why was she so easily angered?

"I'm not going to ask permission when it comes to protecting the person I love most. Do not even expect me to do that."

Vanessa stared at Loki blankly. He just said he loved her. And maybe that was the reason why Vanessa felt her anger subsiding. It was comforting knowing that somehow, she was loved. Vanessa dropped the issue and kicked off her shoes.

"So, what did happen with you and Thor? The two of you are getting on better."

Loki seemed grateful for the change of subject. "After you left, who else was I going to talk to. Certainly not Stark, or your assassin co-workers and there was no point in trying to engage the soldier in conversation. I suppose if I wanted to, I could have tried getting on with Banner, but I didn't feel like trying that out."

Vanessa tried holding back a smirk, "Because he smashed you into Stark's floor?"

"That was not funny."

"You deserved every bit of that smashing, do not even attempt to argue differently."

Loki huffed and flopped down on his back. "Anyway, Thor decided it was time for a serious talk and I just decided it was time for me to stop blaming him for every damn thing I messed up myself."

"How very grown up of you," Vanessa laid down on her back beside Loki. "Why didn't you tell me about Kaerasta?"

That was probably not the best way to get into the sensitive subject, but there was no going back now. Loki didn't say anything for several minutes. He was obviously trying to pretend that he had not heard the question. Annoyed, Vanessa turned her head to stare at the bedside table.

"Who told you?" asked Loki finally.

"Your mother mentioned something about her and then Thor told me more."

"I don't even understand how I didn't realize I was adopted sooner. I'm the only one who knows when to shut up." Loki laughed bitterly. "Why do you even care about her?"

Vanessa turned on her side, propping her head up with one hand. "She was important to you, that's why. Why did you never mention her before?"

Loki looked annoyed. "I don't enjoy talking about a woman who killed herself because I was a foolish and selfish boy."

"You cannot seriously be blaming yourself for her choice. If I was in her situation and saw no other way out, I would do the exact same thing!" Vanessa propped herself on her elbows on Loki's chest and tried to give him the softest look she could. "What was she like?"

Reluctantly, Loki began to paint a picture of Kaerasta. She grew up playing with the Odinson brothers and her cousin, Sif. Kaerasta was quick to join in on a prank and was the first person that didn't treat Loki like Thor's less talented brother. She laughed easily, was defiant if for some reason she didn't agree with something. Unlike her cousin, Kaerasta had no desire to take up arms in battle so she often spent her days with Loki studying magic and plotting out ways to annoy Thor and his posse.

Eventually, things got more serious. And despite the fact that Kaerasta was already spoken for, she and Loki went forward with their affair and didn't bother to hide it.

Cue in Moroingi and his rage. If Kaerasta had been ugly and didn't have much wealth, Moroingi probably would have just broken off the engagement. But to the warrior, she was a delicious prize and he had to have her. Loki added that it probably seemed even better to Moroingi to defy a prince of Asgard.

"You kind of remind me of her, actually," Loki added as an afterthought. Somehow during his story telling their fingers had entwined in one hand. Loki had wraped his free arm loosely around Vanessa's lower back and she in turn was still propped up on his chest.

"I'm flattered that I have some things in common with who seems like she was much nicer than I," Vanessa remarked, and she was flattered, truly.

"You two aren't that different. Somehow you both managed to put up with me."

"Yeah well there is something incredibly sexy about a person if they have the title of 'God of Mischief' attached."

"Oh?" Loki raised his head slightly. "Was the a compliment?"

"Don't get used to it, Ice Bitch, I don't often give them out," Vanessa commented dryly.

"I'll take what I can get."

**Loki's Chamber's-The Palace, Asgard**

Given everything that had happened today, Loki should have had an easy time falling asleep. What between Odin's idea of trying to bond with his sons and talk safty of Asgard, and Vanessa going missing to talking about Kaerasta, Loki had had a long day. But he was laying flat on his back in the dark, wide awake. Every now and then Vanessa would fidget next to him, trying to get comfortable. But now she was being more active and her movements were making it very hard to even attempt to fall asleep.

"If this is how you normally sleep, I'm going to make you rest in the hall," muttered Loki.

"Shut up, I'm in my day dress still."

"Your point being…?"

"Oh lord, Loki, you do not sleep in clothes you've worn all day. Especially if they are not particularly comfortable!"

"So why didn't you change earlier?"

"Because your bed is really comfortable, stop judging me!"

"What are you doing now?" Loki turned his head towards Vanessa's dark figure.

"I'm trying to take it off without exposing my skin to the cold air!"

"You are ridiculous. You're just going to sleep in my bed without any clothes on?"

"No, you dumbass. Earth woman wear undergarments unlike you Asgardian freaks!" Vanessa succeeded in taking off her dress and dropped it on the floor.

"Why do you even wear these?" Loki scooted closer and started playing with one of the black straps of what he had learned was called a 'bra'.

"Because boobs stuck out and get dragged down by gravity, so if we want to have nice looking bosoms, we have to put the bra on. And sometimes, all a girl needs to feel confident for the day is to put on a good bra."

"Fascinating," Loki moved his hand down to move across Vanessa's bare stomach. He traced patterns there for a few moments enjoying the softness of her skin and her hands massaging the back of his neck. Slowly he drifted downwards, feeling her hips and then he found her thighs. Vanessa inhaled sharply and Loki only smirked. He brought his hand back up and started fiddling with the bra.

But there was a problem. Loki had no idea what to do with this Midgardian contraption. He stared and Vanessa in confusion and she raised her eyebrows at him before letting out a loud laugh.

"Oh my God," She managed after catching her breath. "Don't worry, you're not the first person to reach a set back due to the bra. They're really not that confusing!"

"Says you, I'm still trying to understand the point of them."

"And you never will, because you won't ever have need of them," Vanessa responded smartly. She sat up, her eyes shining with amusement. "The hooks are in the back, you just have to undo those and the garment comes right off!" Vanessa reached behind her back and in less than a second the backs of the bra were undone. She gave Loki a cocky smile.

"I would have figured it out."

"Yes, but watching a man struggle with a bra for too long kills the mood."

"Your talking kills the mood," retorted Loki.

"Women are multi-tas—"

"Shut up," and Loki was pressing his lips against hers stopping further conversation.

.

Dawn was breaking over Asgard and the light was slowly creeping into the room. It was the signal that in a matter of hours, Loki would be getting back to business. But he still had hours left and he intended to take advantage of all of them.

Curled up beside him was Vanessa looking breathtaking with her head resting on his chest. Loki ran a hand down her arm amazed at just how soft her skin was.

There were few things more pleasurable in life than exploring the terrain of a woman's body. It was even better when it was with someone you truly cared for. It had been a very long time since Loki had really properly loved someone. And there was really no one more perfect to share himself with than Vanessa.

While Loki spent the night charting out Vanessa's body, making note of all the places where he could get a reaction out of her, she was doing the same. They worked together, trying to satisfy but tease as well. There had been moments to laugh and when Loki had discovered a spot that made Vanessa particularly squirmy she vowed to make Loki pay. There was no doubt in his mind that he would in the near future.

Vanessa was his equal in every way. He'd never loved anyone more than her and as Loki studied her, he promised himself that he would never let her go. Not for the life of him.

**Author's Note**

**Hahahaha! I'm enjoying this slight bit of trolling, No dirty details. I know, I'm mean. **

**I've started back at university so the waits between chapters will be longer now. But we are past the halfway mark of this fic. Only a few more chapters to go, actually.**

**And I'm outlining a sequel so…uh, yeah. How bout that?**

**Also, fun fact, Moroingi in Icelandic means "Murderer" and Kaerasta means "girlfriend" in Icelandic. Do with that what you will. **

**I would love to read what you all thought of this update, so please leave a review?**

**Cheers, you sexy readers, you!**


	13. White Shadows

Yes, there will be a sequel. Not all the questions will be answered in this story just because I felt like I would be rushing too many things. And I did have a vision as to what would happen after this story ends. The title has been picked and I do have the first chapter pretty well done! As always, I own nothing but Vanesa and the other OC's! Thank you so much for your continued support

**White Shadows**

**The Corridors-The Palace, Asgard**

"Oh my God," Vanessa moaned. "We're just holding hands, why do the people of Asgard act like we're doing something wrong?"

"Holding hands is not the issue," Loki said patiently, "it's more to do with the fact that you're holding hands with me."

"Should not be that scandalous. I mean, I did yell at the Allfather and I kill people for a living."

"But you're human. Most of us just claim that your wrongdoings are because humans are less evolved."

"Racist assholes," Vanessa muttered. "When are we going down to the treasure room?"

"Probably after your session in the healing room."

Loki had spent most of the morning lying in bed, talking. Vanessa had been thoroughly entertained by Loki's retelling of how things went with Thor and Odin. Very little had been accomplished in the meeting. Like Loki had expected, Odin started up with some sort of fatherly lecture and when he said something utterly stupid, Loki would roll his eyes causing Odin to become frustrated. Thor tried his very best to be the mediator.

They did, however decide that given the circumstances, the Tesseract was to be sent back to Earth. And today, Odin, Thor, Loki and Vanessa would be going down to take a look at the cube.

"I don't want to see it," Vanessa mumbled grimly. "That cube is more trouble than it's worth.

"Yes, but we need you to discuss the protection that will be put upon it once it's back on Midgard. I for one, would rather not let SHIELD get their hands on it again."

"Me neither, but I doubt I can get away with it. I think Bruce could do a good job of watching it. If worse comes to worst he could always swallow it."

"I'm not even going to ask where that came from," Loki shook his head.

They rounded a corner and entered the dining hall. Sif, The Warrior's Three, Thor and Jane, Firgga and Odin had all opted for a late breakfast as well. Trying to keep his good mood up, Loki tried to ignore the fact that four (five if Loki felt like counting Odin in) people he really disliked were all sitting round a table. Vanessa squeezed his hand and Loki rolled his eyes at Sif and the Warriors Three, all of whom had stopped talking upon the duo's arrival. Loki took the open seat across from Thor and next to his mother and Vanessa sat down beside him and Sif. Sif fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Where were you last night, Vanessa," asked Jane, ignoring the tension. "We missed you at dinner?"

"I was really tired so I just went to bed," Vanessa replied smoothly.

"You do not look like you got much sleep," Hogun commented in his soft, almost harsh tone.

"Yeah well Loki snores," she told the lie without a second's hesitation and flashed Loki an impish grin, daring him to play along with the lie and contradict her.

"And you talk in your sleep," Loki started helping himself to some ham, "so I think we are even."

"Well, you could have made me sleep in the hall if I was bothering you so much."

"We all know how violent you get when you don't get your way. I would never dare to cross a woman who is tired and short tempered."

"Here, here!" Volstagg raised his goblet. Sif and Loki both looked at him, confused. Frigga was looking between Vanessa and Loki fondly, while Odin kept a stoic face. Thor, though he was smiling at the two, Loki could tell, knew that they were lying. Thor seemed to know exactly what the two had gotten up to last night.

"Allfather?" Vanessa turned in her chair slightly to face Odin better. Odin bowed his head in response. "I just, I want to apologize for my absolutely horrid behavior the other night. It was inexcusable."

Whatever it was people were expecting from Vanessa, it was not that. Odin, thrown back, glanced at Frigga, who smiled kindly and Loki stopped eating, waiting for a reaction.

"Given the amount of strain you are under at the moment, I believe it was perfectly all right. Just…be more in control of yourself next time."

Vanessa bobbed her head, "Thank you, you are most kind."

"_Ha_," Loki thought, "_ha ha ha_."

She was definitely milking things and it was working. Odin seemed to study Vanessa for a moment before deciding she was all right.

Vanessa grabbed a piece of fruit and cast a curious look at Sif before looking at Loki. She was asking him, just with her expression if Sif was uneasy with Vanessa's presence. Loki nodded swiftly and Vanessa let an amused smirk slide onto her face.

"Lady Sif, you have such beautiful hair!" she cooed. Loki buried his face into his hands trying to hide his laughter. This was one story that those writing Norse mythology had gotten right.

Sif turned her cool eyes on Vanessa. "Thank you," she said not sounding at all gracious, "Loki gave it to me."

Vanessa feigned surprise and Loki let out a snort of laughter. Thor and Odin both looked pretty amused as well.

"Did you really, Loki?" Vanessa gave Loki a sappy look. "My God! You are such a talent!"

"I am glad somebody appreciates my eye for what looks good. Sif's blonde hair washed out her features a bit and black is much more intimidating. I did you a huge favor, my lady."

Sif looked ready to blow. Vanessa crossed her arms and her voice took on a more friendly, business like tone. "No, what I really wanted to ask you, Lady, was if you would be willing to help get me back into fighting shape?"

"Fighting shape?" Sif looked puzzled. "You are not a warrior, are you?"

"In a sense, I am, although, not nearly on the same level as you. But you see, I've been out of action for a few months and what with a battle looming closer I need to get back into shape, won't you agree?" Vanessa placed a hand casually on Loki's thigh.

Sif's eyes wandered to Loki and back to Vanessa before answering. "Yes…" she said slowly, she didn't trust either of them. But what choice did she have to refuse in front of the royal family?

Thor cleared his throat, "If there is a battle on Asgard, Vanessa, you won't be fighting."

"No, probably not. But when Thanos decides to grace the Earth with his presence, and he will, I'm going to be at the frontlines protecting my people. Now," Vanessa stood and faced Frigga with a friendly smile, "I believe I have a session with you today?"

"Yes," as always, Frigga's eyes were warm, "I have a few things I need to retrieve before we start though. Loki, could you escort the lady to the healing room?"

Loki and Vanessa made a hasty retreat from the dining hall and as soon as the doors shut behind them, they let out all the laughter they'd been holding back.

"You will never find favor with Sif," Loki managed finally.

"I think I shot the friendship horse in the face the minute I started hanging with you. She's got a stick up her ass or something because Sif does not seem to like me or Jane."

"Oh, you noticed that bit, have you?" Loki asked and Vanessa slipped an arm around his waist. They started making their way down the corridor. "Sif and Thor were on and off lovers at one point."

"Well that's awkward. So should I expect some sly remarks from Thor later about last night or is he going to be a perfect gentlemen?"

"He won't say anything to you, but he'll probably be nagging me…him and the Warriors Three. Do women ever do that?"

"Depends on the person," Vanessa leaned against the wall. "I could care less about sex unless I'm having it, even on missions when I need to know things…I find it really hard to care all that much. But I do know women who enjoy the topic immensely."

Loki nodded his head slowly and his lips curled into a smile that said he was not expecting that answer. But it interested him. Women; they were a constant surprise.

"So what's on your docket today?" Vanessa asked, her eyes darting towards the healing room door. Loki started at her blankly. "Docket, like a list. What are you doing while I have my brain examined?"

"Oh, maybe you should talk like a normal person?" Loki ran a hand through his hair. Vanessa crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "But I'm doing target practice with Thor. Apparently last time we ended up fighting on Midgard we left a lot of collateral damage?"

"Understatement of the millennium," Vanessa rolled her eyes. "I have to go drink a nasty potion to relax my mind, you have fun brother bonding."

"Ha ha," said Loki dryly. He pulled Vanessa in and his arms encircled her. She immediately melted into him, trying to rid any of the space between them and their lips met in the middle. There was that incredible feeling of wanting her. Loki wanted to whisk her away and have her right then, but he supposed he was always going to feel this way from now on. Loki was never going to want to let her go.

"Okay, kids, I think it is time you two had some decency."

Frigga stood with her arms crossed. She did not look angry or embarrassed. There was a sort of happiness Loki had not seen upon his mother's face in years. Maybe it was that that made Loki feel no shame. He'd found someone who made him feel happy, someone who took him as he was. And his mother could see that and she felt joy.

Like a proper Asgardian prince, Loki offered Frigga an apology and kissed her cheek. He turned back to Vanessa and kissed her knuckles, trying to keep up his gentleman façade. He could feel her trying to hold back an amused smile.

"Get better, okay?" He asked. Vanessa nodded.

**Training Room-The Palace, Asgard**

"Brother! You and the Lady Vanessa are getting on well!"

Loki didn't even glance at Thor. He just threw one of his magical daggers at a target and hit it dead on. "Does that surprise you?"

"No, but you two have the look of love making about you."

Loki threw another dagger. "You are delusional, Thor."

"Are you denying that you—"

"Thor," Loki gave up target practice and eyed his brother warily. "Has it ever occurred to you that this stiff is private?"

"I am not asking for any details," Thor's large grin was slowly fading. "I was just offering up my approval."

"When it comes to love making, I am fairly certain that the only approval I will ever need is that of the woman's."

"Ah, but brother, I was approving of the woman in question," that typical Thor smile was back. "She is a wonderful match."

"Yes," Loki began target practicing again, "I would have to agree with you on that one."

.

It was many hours later when Frigga poked her head in interrupting the two brothers of a rumble.

"You two are needed down at the Royal Treasure room," she said. The Queen looked very worn out.

The two brothers dropped their weapons and grabbed for towels to wipe the sweat off their brows.

"Where is Nessa? She should be joining us," Loki asked his mother leading the way out of the room.

"Right here," Vanessa waved at the group. She was leaning against the wall looking just as tired as Frigga but there was a look of satisfaction on her face that made Loki feel at ease. "We have a diagnosis," she stated.

"What is it?" Thor asked the same time Loki raised his eyebrows in interest and said. "Oh?"

"Uh, yeah," Vanessa gave Frigga a thankful look before the Queen started back in the other direction towards the royal chambers. "Thanos was meaning to slowly brain wash me. And…given the amount of magic he used to attempt this, I should have already been too far gone by now."

"What?" Thor stopped, looking alarmed. "Why would that not work? What powers do you possess?"

The tone in Thor's voice was shocking. Loki noticed how Vanessa jumped back slightly and made a grab for Loki's hand. He squeezed her fingers trying to comfort her sudden and random fear.

"I—I don't have any powers, Thor. I just…your mother thinks that the bedroom hymn that Loki has used on me may have helped," she offered Loki a small smile before continuing. "Also, no new memories have been planted. All that was done was sort of…bring some of my more violent ones seeping into my waking hours. Which would explain why I'm not liking the dark and why I kind of…blew up at your father."

"How do you figure that?" Loki asked as the trio made their way downwards to the treasury.

"When I saw Odin, who is a father, it was almost like I was seeing mine. And I hate my father. So I lashed out on Odin in a way that I was never able to with mine. Thor, where is Jane?"

If Thor was surprised by the sudden change in topic, he didn't show it. "She is at Heimdall's observatory, revising theories and equations…I think that is the wording she used."

They lapsed into silence expect for their footsteps that echoed through the halls. Servants and other palace residents were carful to bow their heads to Thor when the passed but they shot Loki disapproving looks. As they went deeper down the people became scarce and Loki found that he could relax better. When at last they reached the treasure room, the guards pulled the door open. Thor led the way in where Odin was already waiting.

"You are late," the Allfather said.

Thor offered up some sort of an apology but Loki was no longer paying attention. Straight ahead, was the Tesseract. Loki could feel the cube's energy everywhere and he tensed. Vanessa started rubbing circles on his palm in an effort to make Loki relax. But he couldn't, not with the cube sitting innocently in its container. Not when Loki was the only person in the room who knew the full extent of that object's power. If they all knew, they would be afraid.

"It has been decided," Odin was saying, "that if in the event that this titian does come within Heimdall's line of sight, we will have to make a hasty evacuation for you, Lady Sigyn, Lady Foster and my two sons. If the alarm has been sounded, you will come here and use the Tesseract to transport yourselves back to the park location where Thor and Loki left the last time."

"You cannot just appear in the middle of Central Park," Vanessa shook her head.

"We did it last time?" Thor responded, not understanding.

"Yes," said Vanessa kindly, "that was because SHIELD secured the premises for you. The only people who saw you leave were those who were supposed to."

"Did you see it?"

"No, I didn't think it was appropriate for me to see off two Norse gods. I didn't fight, I was cut off from Phase Two the second I started protesting the weapons idea and I didn't want anything to do with anyone not from my world. I was involved in the process of gathering up all the Chitauri weapons." Vanessa turned to Odin. "Is there a way to change where we'll appear?"

"I do not know."

Loki cleared his throat. "There is, the one who is going to operate the cube must be fully concentrating on where they want us to turn up. Which leads into my question; where will we be ending up, SHIELD?"

Vanessa shook her head. "I'm not bringing that thing into SHIELD unless I've received a direct order. We would have to end up in Stark Tower. From there I can call Phil and have him come back and we can meet with the team without the distraction of other agents." Vanessa removed her hand from Loki's and began to wander about the room. "He will be coming to Earth, whatever army Thanos decides to bring will be coming to Earth. The portal proved to be too much of a danger the last time. So I'm confident that this next time around everything will show up in the Earth's atmosphere."

"But does that not still give you an advantage?" asked Thor, "It is your Earth, you know it."

Sadly, Vanessa shook her head. "Humans lived believing that gods and Titians and magic were a child's game. But we were so wrong. We don't have magic; we don't possess the technology to withstand armies much more advanced than ours…even if it's on our own home court. If the counsel wants to send another nuke they might wipe out the enemy army, but they will take an entire city with them. That's still losing. So, Allfather, how are you going to protect us? That is your job after all."

Odin was looking at Vanessa as though he would like to call her out for speaking so plainly to him, but he thought better of it. "You will have my sons."

"That is not enough. We barley won out the last time. Two gods, two master assassins, a spy, a narcissistic genius, a time-bomb and an old fashioned soldier will not be enough. The army will get in late and the police force will not know how to control the chaos. You must have some allies?"

"I could send my best warriors. If the treaty with the Frost Giants was still in effect we might have been able to get them to join in. But they did almost destroy your world once before."

"There isn't a person alive that even remembers that. If Thanos has his way the entire Universe is at stake. Make peace again with the Frost Giants. We need them."

"They would kill anyone of Asgard on sight," Odin stared down at the woman.

Vanessa crossed her arms and smirked in a superior way. "Well it's a damn good thing I'm not Asgardian."

"No," Loki cut in harshly, "you are not going into Jotunheim, especially not alone."

"You could come too seeing as you weren't born here."

"I killed their king and nearly destroyed their home. If I go in I won't come out. And I don't want to sound arrogant, but you need me against Thanos."

"I'm not afraid of what you say the Frost Giants will do to me. Asgardian history depicts them as savages, but I highly doubt that is the case. They nearly destroyed Earth millions of years ago. But you, Loki nearly did us in not even three years ago. There is always a chance at redemption. And even if the citizens of Jotunheim do hate Asgardians, I am not of Asgard. I'm willing to bet that even if my efforts fail, the new King would still be willing to hear me out."

"You think too much of people," Odin stated harshly.

"And you think too less of them."

"I forbid anyone passage to Jotunheim. Anyone who disobeys this express command will suffer most harshly."

"You cannot scare me, Allfather," Vanessa's expression was dark and cold. "You've forgotten that I've dealt with much worse. But so be i—"

She stopped midsentence. The look that crossed Vanessa's face was a curious one. For almost a second, she looked alarmed, but she was quick to hide her true feelings. Her face now held an innocent curiosity.

"What's this?" she asked pointing to something, her tone was light.

The three men moved to see what it was Vanessa was pointing to. It was a golden hand, or rather, glove with six gems of all different colors encrusted into it. Loki didn't even know what it was. Odin had never bothered to tell him or Thor what it was. But then again, neither had ever asked before.

"That has been in here long before I was even born. I was some sort of gift from an enchantress for my father back when he was still a prince," Odin offered. "It is rumored to possess great powers. But I gather that it is just a valuable prize. "

"It is very pretty."

That was such a un-Vanessa like thing to say. It put up a red flag in Loki's mind. But Thor and Odin were looking at Vanessa kindly, obviously thinking that Vanessa was just back to her girlish ways and was in need of rest. But Vanessa was not a fool. Those who took her to be one were the fools. Loki spotted the act hiding her thoughts. She was a spy, she was trained up to notice things and gather information without putting off those whom she was questioning. But for now, she seemed fine letting Odin believe she was just a girl with a tainted mind. When the Allfather suggested that she retire, Vanessa bowed and agreed. And just like that, she found favor with the King of Asgard who just minutes before was not enjoying her presence. She was a master of her craft, damaged or not.

**Loki's Chamber's-The Palace, Asgard**

Loki had decided not to press Vanessa on what he had seen in the treasure room. She would talk when she was ready. Instead of going to bed, right after the meeting, there was a grand dinner in the dining hall. Everyone wanted to honor the guests of Asgard. There had been much food and wine as well as dancing. When Vanessa wasn't dancing with Loki, she was accepting invitations from other Asgardian men and worked on charming them. While it was understood that Jane was Thor's woman, it seemed that if Loki was interested in someone, it was fine to try and steal her favor…even if she was sleeping in Loki's bed.

Still, it didn't really bother Loki. Vanessa always came back spilling some secret she had wormed out of another dance partner. She had been practicing her interrogation methods. She had been working.

But now, the two were in bed. Loki was staring up at the ceiling mulling over the day's events and Vanessa was flipping through one of his books curiously. Over all, it had been a decent day. It had started off quite spectacularly, the breaking of the fast had been amusing and it was nice to train with Thor without having to deal with Sif or the Warriors three. Even the evening had been pleasurable. It had been the first really pleasant day on Asgard in a very long time.

Bored, Loki leaned over rolling almost on top of Vanessa and snatched the book out of her hands. She gave him a very lethal glare.

"I was reading that," she growled.

"You can't read," Loki teased, throwing the book aside.

"That's because the language on your stupid planet is stupid."

"How old are you again?" Loki cocked an eyebrow.

"Several thousand years younger than you. So excuse me if I am a little less mature."

Loki chuckled and Vanessa reached over his shoulder and started tugging and playing with the ends of his hair. Loki slipped a hand up her nightshirt and started creeping it upwards until he found her breast. He started slowly tracing circles and figure eights around them and Vanessa crushed her lips against his, her tongue exploring his mouth vigorously.

Loki started tugging on her shirt, annoyed at the thin piece of fabric. They broke away for a brief moment and he slipped off her shirt and tossed it away. Loki cupped and fondled her breasts while Vanessa ran her hands all over him before she began to undo his trousers. Those too were tossed away. Blindly, Loki yanked off the panties needing her in that instant, wanting to re-explore all of Vanessa. But she seemed to have other ideas.

In one swift moment Vanessa flipped him over and under her. A teasing grin was playing at the corners of her lips. She straddled him and planted a very inviting kiss on him and broke away before Loki even had time to respond. This must be how he was going to pay for last night. She was planting kisses down his body. His neck then back up to his mouth. Then down to his chest and back up. She was getting lower but always, she came back up driving Loki mad. Finally she began to suck, slowly and sweetly, her thumbs massaging the skin around his hips. He couldn't hold it back and a moan escaped his lips. Loki grabbed her hair and gently pulled her upwards. He would have her.

.

Vanessa dug her fingernails into Loki's back while a moan escaped her lips. He was pretty pleased with himself, Loki was. She could feel his smirking in a self-satisfied way against her breast. Their hips moved together, legs wrapped tightly around the other. All the while, Loki licked, sucked and tugged at her breasts.

She had never been loved like this. Loki was so in tune with Vanessa's body, feeding off of everything that satisfied. He knew where to be gentle and he didn't take much of it too seriously. Vanessa ran a hand down Loki's body, trying to memorize what his skin felt like. One of his hands grabbed hers, holding it tightly. He broke away from her breast and kissed her passionately.

That was her favorite. The way Loki's tongue ran across her teeth and seemed to mold with hers. For a few brief moments, they were one person, bodies entwined. The intimacy was beautiful and safe. Vanessa was safe in this moment.

"I love you," he whispered against her mouth.

.

It was still very dark. Beside her, Loki's breathing was steady; sound asleep. Vanessa turned as quietly as she could. She went and kissed his cheek softly. The corner of Loki's mouth twitched and Vanessa held in her breath. When she was confident that he was still fast asleep, Vanessa slipped out of bed. She went about retrieving her clothes and putting them on. She didn't need shoes as Vanessa was only going around the palace. Channeling in all she had learned as a pavement artist, Vanessa slipped out of the room as silent as a shadow.

If she was caught, Vanessa could just argue that she was only practicing what Frigga had told her. In order for her to truly fight off the demon inside her, Vanessa needed to face the shadows. Her grotesque memories came alive in them. If she beat the fear, she will have beaten Thanos at his own game. So heart thumping wildly, Vanessa allowed herself to become the shadows. It was amazing how naturally her work as a pavement artist was coming back. Her footsteps were silent and quick, only someone who knew her could have spotted Vanessa as she darted in and out of the shadows sinking deeper into the palace.

When she was in front of the treasure room doors Vanessa almost tutted. The guards were sleeping, slumped against a wall. This was much too easy. She stepped forward and pulled the door open just wide enough for her to squeeze through. She made sure that the door was shut firmly behind her before Vanessa made he way down the stairs. She stopped only when she was directly in front of the golden bejeweled glove.

The Infinity Gantlet was here on Asgard. All of its gems were in place twinkling under the faint glare of the torches, taunting her. The Gantlet had been on Asgard for millions of years, all the gems in place. Yet nobody was aware of this. Nobody realized just how much power Asgard held right now. They had possession of the Tesseract and the Infinity Gantlet. And although Vanessa didn't know fully what either could do, she realized just how deadly a combination it was. This was too much power for one planet. The Gantlet alone was too much power.

Vanessa was going to change that right now. With trembling fingers Vanessa lifted the Gantlet off its stand and let her fingers run over the golden hand in awe. She could feel its power.

"What are you doing?"

Vanessa gasped and nearly dropped the Gauntlet as she spun around. Loki was standing at the top of the stairs, dressed in his trousers and a loose shirt, his hair tousled and his arms crossed across his chest. Vanessa couldn't tell if he looked angry or not.

"You followed me?"

"No. I knew where you were going and I took a short cut, beating you and I watched you go in. Did you honestly think I was not going to notice you getting out of bed?"

No, Vanessa should have thought of that. But she didn't answer. She just clutched the Gauntlet tighter and stared at Loki as he descended the stairs.

"Now, what are you doing with that?"

"This is the Infinity Gauntlet," Vanessa stated.

Loki's eyes grew wide and he looked at the glove fearfully. "It's actually real? How do you know this is it?"

"I saw it in His mind. It's been here all this time."

"But…what are you planning on doing with it?"

"I can't let anyone have this much power know that I've found it. We'll have the Tesseract in our hands, but I'd wager that this is more dangerous. But what would happen if I removed some of the gems?"

"How, how could you do that?"

"Well…if I just…" Vanessa slowly slipped the Gauntlet onto her right hand. The effect was instant.

Vanessa nearly cried out as the gloved molded to her hand, the power was overwhelming her. Vanessa was dimly aware of Loki taking ahold of her wait to prevent her from falling.

_Mortals are not meant for this kind of power. _

She could see the universe. Anything and everything Vanessa could have ever wanted would be hers simply by asking. She could be the most powerful being in all of existence. She could end Thanos in the very second. The temptation was nearly overpowering her. At what cost would she kill this titian? This evil being who had caused so much pain. She could end him right now…but at what cost?

Vanessa fought with her mind. She struggled to concentrate on the arms around her waist and the frantic voice calling out her name.

_Just three. Just remove three. Come on, you can do it. Just…drop three…please!_

The hold weakened and Vanessa silently begged for the power to drop its hold on her. The gloved loosened and Vanessa wrenched herself away from Loki, flinging the glove away. Her legs were trembling badly and she could no longer hold herself up. Vanessa let her body sink to the floor, she was gasping for air. Loki knelt down beside her and cupped her face with both hands.

"You're burning, are you all right?" he asked quietly.

Vanessa didn't respond. She was clutching something in her left hand. Slowly she opened her palm and stared at the three gems lying innocently there. Orange, purple and blue…what did they do? She suddenly didn't want them. Roughly, Vanessa took Loki's hand and dropped the there, begging him to keep them.

"I can't be in possession of these," he protested pushing them back.

Vanessa pushed her body back, shaking her head. "Those are too powerful for me. You have to keep them."

"Even three of these things must be immensely powerful. I cannot be trusted with this much power."

"We don't even know what they do, Loki," Vanessa said trying to sound soothing. "But that Gauntlet could have killed me just now or destroyed everything. I can't take them and we can't let anyone be in possession of all six. You have to take them and you can't tell anyone. The more people that are ignorant of this, the safer we'll all be." Vanessa didn't even wait for Loki to answer. She stood and made her way over to where she had thrown the Infinity Gauntlet. She carried it with a fearful reverence back it its stand. She pulled Loki to his feet who was looking at the gems in his hand with a terrible fear.

"I…I can't," he started.

"Yes, you can. I'll keep you in check if I have to, but I know you can keep these. Later, if we have to, we'll hand out two of them to trusted people. But we'll need to keep them out of harm's way. You can do it." Loki looked doubtful yet comforted almost by Vanessa's words. "Come on, we should get back before everyone starts waking up."

**Author's Note**

**Okay, so that smutty bit has me a little apprehensive. I'm wondering if I need to change the rating to "M" because of it, just to be safe? So let me know if I should in the box below.**

**I'd like to think that things are getting interesting as we get closer to the end of this. And I did not just choose to have the Gantlet sitting in the royal treasure room. In the Thor movie you can see it sitting there with all its gems for a second. Which is why I chose to make Odin ignorant of the Gantlet's powers. I think that if he did know what it did, he would not leave the Gauntlet sitting on a stand just out in the open.**

**The sequel is coming along nicely! Leave a review, please? I'd like that very much!**

**Until next time, mates!**


	14. Start a War

Okay, so I'm just trying to crank out these last few chapters. I really want to be able to devote more time into the sequel. And I'm dying for you all to read the end! The song is Start a War by the National.

**Start A War**

**Palace Training Yard-The Palace, Asgard**

Vanessa had been determined to make sure that Sif made good on her promise to train. If Vanessa could get training tips from an Asgardian, she could only be better off when the real battle happened. At first, Sif very easily beat Vanessa in every round. This was to be expected though as Vanessa was out of shape. But she was a spy, she was trained to notice things about her opponents. Within a few weeks, Sif's wins were harder fought and Vanessa was able to scratch a few for herself.

The three Infinity Gems Vanessa had stolen from the Gauntlet were hiding in a small bag under Loki's mattress. He had flat out refused to carry them around but insisted that the gems would be safe where they were for the time being.

Vanessa had thought that preventing Thanos from wielding the full power of the Gauntlet would make her mind at ease. But there was something so sinister about the gems that only heightened Vanessa's anxiety. She and Loki had agreed on one thing, however. Odin knew nothing of the Infinity Gauntlet.

Loki had tricked Thor into asking Odin about the object at dinner one evening and Loki, watching Odin's reaction carefully, concluded that Odin's father, Borr, had kept his son ignorant of the Gauntlet and its power.

"Everything I have heard about Borr ties in with this theory. He was secretive if he felt that it would keep the Nine Realms safe," Loki had concluded that night. But the two had hardly discussed the gems since then. There was too much of a risk of being overheard, there was too much that they didn't know.

So, while Vanessa spent hours trying to master the identifying of illusions with Frigga and training with Sif (often accompanied by the Warriors Three and occasionally Thor and Jane), Loki spent hours on ends scouring the library trying to find a book or two that might have mentioned the Gauntlet.

More plans had been made regarding the Earth's protection. Odin had said that he would be sending Sif, The Warriors Three and a few others of his trusted soldiers to Midgard to fight when the time came. Odin would stay behind, as Asgard would be in dire need of a King.

Still, Vanessa had not given up hope that maybe some sort of alliance could be made with the Frost Giants. But she remained to be the only one with that line of thinking. Just last night Vanessa and Loki had gotten in a heated argument about the subject. It had gotten so bad that Vanessa had taken her pillow and a blanket and opted to sleep in the bathtub for the night. Their anger had not calmed come the morning.

So, when Loki decided to join the group watching Vanessa and Sif fight, she had used her sudden wave of annoyance to her advantage. Vanessa used her speed and grabbed Sif's double sided sword while sliding in between the warrior's legs. Sif flipped forward and landed hard on her back while Vanessa twisted the weapon away. She pointed an edge at Sif and smirked.

"Do you give up yet?"

"You're getting better, but I'm still leading," was Sif's response, which was her way of saying yes while still maintaining her pride.

"Bravo!" Volstagg shouted, always one for excitement…and food.

"I cannot wait to get back down to Earth and start training with all the Chitarui tech," Vanessa took a goblet of water from a roller tray.

"You still have those?" asked Thor.

"What do you think we were going to do with them? We couldn't let the regular people use them and we didn't really want to destroy them, not when Natasha had figured out how to use them to our advantage. I'm glad we kept them, we're going to need every advantage we can get."

"You'll have us!" Fandrall winked, "You won't need to steal weapons from the other side."

"Maybe you won't, but us humans will need to. I don't think my talent for turning average items into deadly objects will keep me alive for very long."

"Average items into deadly weapons?" Jane looked skeptical. "I don't see that happening."

"I saw her kill someone with just a bundle of papers," interjected Loki.

Vanessa shot him an annoyed look. How dare he try getting back into her good graces. But she noticed he was clutching a small book in his hands. Had he found something at last?

"I could show you, Jane, but I don't actually want to kill anyone right now. I'm resting up for the main event."

She hated talking about the inevitable war that was looming closer so casually. But that was how everyone talked of war on Asagrd. It was important to gain the respect of those Vanessa would be fighting along side. On the other hand, Vanessa was still so on edge. She expected Thanos to be showing up to Asgard at any moment. But it had been almost a month and nothing abnormal had been reported.

Vanessa was eager to get back to Earth. It was important to touch base with SHIELD and the Avengers. They needed to come up with some sort of strategy. Thor and Loki had both said that it was likely that Thanos would focus his attack on New York City like the last time. If he wanted to court Death, he was going to need an audience. So a plan needed to be made up to prevent the loss of hundreds of lives. How were they going to keep the people of New York safe from another horror? Vanessa's city had suffered enough.

"We need to get back to Earth as soon as possible," she said quietly. But everyone heard her. "We've sat up here too long and I need to get back to base and report in."

"You weren't given an mission, you don't need to report anything in," Loki argued.

"Every damn thing I do is a mission. I'm never actually off duty. Phil needs to know that I'm not going to try and tear out Fury's other eye and that I don't need to be locked up in an asylum. Plans need to be set in motion. I know last time, we just went for it, but there was so much chaos as a result. I don't want to always feel like we're avenging the Earth. I want to protect it."

Thor was silent and thoughtful looking while he twirled Mjölnir in his hands. Nobody else, it seemed, wanted to speak up. They were all looking at Thor, expectantly. Finally Thor raised his head.

"I suppose we have been idle long enough. I shall talk to my father tonight and see if we can arrange a departure."

**Loki's Chambers-The Palace, Asgard**

Vanessa was still angry from last night that much Loki could tell. If there was anything Loki had ever learned from Odin, it was that when a woman is angry, a man should shut up and wait for the storm to pass. So, with that lesson in mind, Loki lounged on his perfectly made bed and tried to focus on the Asgardian book of myths in his lap. Vanessa was pacing back and fourth glancing out the window every time she passed it. She was impatiently awaiting news from Thor.

"Are you ever going to tell me why you brought that book back?" she asked, her tone both impatient and annoyed.

"I was not aware that we were talking," Loki turned a page.

Vanessa shot Loki a very dangerous look. "Real fucking funny," she muttered sarcastically.

"I tried being cordial this morning," Loki defended.

"If you think turning on the water in the bath tub is cordial, you need to learn better manners. That was extremely rude. And you could apologize for being such an incredible ass last night too."

"Not my fault you decided to sleep in a bath and not get up for breakfast," shrugged Loki. "And you might do well to apologize for pressing a subject which you know nothing about."

"You don't understand much either. All you know about Joutenheim is what you learned from your father. And I'm sorry, but I think he is very flawed in his line of thinking. Not all Frost Giants are cold, heartless, mass murderers just like not everyone who lives in the Middle East is a terrorist hell-bent on destroying America."

"But I am," said Loki quietly. "I killed people, I killed your people, I killed Frost Giants—my people, and I killed my real dad without even blinking. They can't be all that different from me."

Vanessa opened and closed her mouth, trying to come up with the right words. Satisfied that he had finally talked some sense into her, Loki went down to his book, only to have it gently pried from his hands. Vanessa was sitting on the edge of the bed; she took Loki's hands and stared at him with a sort of kindness.

"Barton told you of a hospital fire, yes?"

Confused, Loki nodded.

"He told you that Natasha was responsible for it. And he was right, in a way. Natasha helped set everything up, she made sure I could get out in time. But I lit the match that caused everyone in that hospital to die."

"You're lying," Loki breathed.

"I wish I was," Vanessa shook her head and looked away, ashamed. "I didn't matter that we burnt the place down because everyone inside was carrying a toxic and highly contagious disease. I can still hear them screaming. I am not a good person. I've done so many awful things that I can't hope to atone for. All I can do is try and convince myself that I'm helping more than I'm hurting. "

"Fine," said Loki because he didn't know what else to say, "Fine, I understand. But we cannot trust the Frost Giants. Going in would be foolish and pointless."

Vanessa removed her hands from Loki's and nodded dumbly. She stood, her back to him and stared at the window. Loki knew that Vanessa would no longer press him to support her on this. She might not even mention it again, but Loki had the feeling that he would be sleeping alone again tonight.

**Royal Gardens-Outside the Palace, Asgard**

The evening air on Asgard didn't have the same chill to it that Vanessa had known on Earth. It was pleasant and inviting. Vanessa sprawled herself on the grass outside and stared up at the stars. They were so different, so much more interesting than on Earth. Maybe it was because Vanessa had only ever known her planet's stars, or maybe it was because there were just more stars on Asgard. Looking up right now, it was easy to believe that there were more gods, more creatures of myths, more of everything.

Thor had spoken with Odin and had agreed to let Thor, Loki, Jane and Vanessa leave for Earth in the morning. She would be sad to say goodbye to a place that held so much beauty, but Vanessa knew that it would be foolish to delay going back any longer. She had a job to do, there were people counting on her.

But for the moment, Vanessa was content to just sit outside. Maybe if she continued staring up at the stars time would freeze. Maybe everything was just a horrible and beautiful dream. Given everything that was about to come to light, Vanessa was dying to be back in Athens, before her world was brought upside down on its head.

She could hear a pair of footsteps coming up behind her. Vanessa longed for them to be Loki's feet, but they were too soft to be his. So Vanessa didn't bother to turn to see who it was. She counted the steps, seven, until the person stopped, standing almost overhead. But still Vanessa didn't turn to look.

"You should be sleeping, getting ready for the tomorrow's events," said Frigga. "Yet here you are, admiring the stars."

"Can't sleep," offered Vanessa.

"Yes, I gather you and Loki are still having issues?"

Vanessa turned her head. "How did you—"

"I have been married a long time," the queen said kindly, "I know a lover's quarrel when I see one. You have to understand that men are hard headed and it takes patience and understanding to change their mind. Men of Odin are particularly hard to sway…even if they were adopted."

"So you know all about my idea for a treaty then?"

"Yes, and I agree with you. Prejudices will not create peace in the Nine Realms. But it will take a long time convincing Loki to face his demons in Joutunheim. Those are much more personal than anything that happened on Midgard. I suppose it might help if he saw you trying to make amends with those whom you have wronged."

"I can't," Vanessa sat up, "I can't do that, not yet."

"So then you must understand why he cannot either?"

"I…yes," Vanessa relented.

Frigga looked up at the stars thoughtfully for a very long time before she spoke again. "I have the gift of prophecy, although I cannot see everything, I have known a long time that there would be a woman who's destiny would be so entwined with that of Loki's. I might never know how entangled those destinies will be, but the moment I saw you, I knew you were that woman. You continue to push him to be better and you've recently given him much responsibility."

"I have not," Vanessa protested, still trying to digest Frigga's story.

"You gave him three Infinity Gems."

Vanessa stared at Frigga dumbly. Frigga knew…how could she know? "How did you…?"

"I've known about the location on the Gauntlet for many years. I read the stories of the prince who brought it here and I saw glimpses of it in visions. But I, like you fear the power that the Gauntlet is capable of. So I never told Odin of the glove's true powers."

Vanessa was struck dumb by the Queen of Asgard. How much did she know? How much had she seen? Vanessa had underestimated her, but so, it seemed, had everyone else on Asgard. "Why didn't you stop me from taking them?"

"Because you took the gems not to use, but to prevent a great evil from having them all. "

Vanessa sat in silence, feeling awkward. She felt uncomfortable under Frigga's approving stare. She stood wanting to mull over everything alone, and Vanessa wanted to sleep. Frigga took Vanessa's face in her hands, she no longer had the look of a kind, wise mother, but of someone who was worried.

"You are going to need to be very brave and very strong very soon," was all she said.

Vanessa felt a terrible sense of dread in her stomach that made her feel almost sick. What else could happen to her? What could be worse than what she'd already faced? What did Frigga mean? Vanessa lowered her eyes and dropped to a curtsy.

"I think I'm going to bed now," she said, "Good night, my queen."

And Vanessa walked quickly from the garden, her heart racing. Halfway back to Loki's room Vanessa leaned against the wall trying to calm down. Had Frigga seen something concerning the upcoming fight with Thanos? Had she seen something else?

_Stop, calm down, Nessa. You're tired and stressed. Go make nice and go to sleep_.

Vanessa worked on steading her breathing and then walked as calmly as she could back to the room. Vanessa half expected Loki to have locked her out, but the door eased open without any trouble. She slipped inside and shut the door as quietly as she could.

Vanessa changed into pajamas and eased into bed trying very hard not to move around too much. Vanessa lay down and stared at the ceiling trying to will herself to sleep. But it was no use, even with his back to her; Vanessa knew that Loki was only pretending to sleep.

Vanessa suppressed an irritated sigh and moved over to the other side of the bed and slipped an arm around his chest. She could feel his body tense up. Vanessa pressed her lips against his shoulder blade and tried to seem warm by smoothly running her hand across his chest.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I shouldn't have pressed the issue and I'm sorry."

He was still tense, so with another kiss on the shoulder, Vanessa let go and moved back to her side.

"You would have died if you'd gone," Loki mumbled finally, "from the cold."

Vanessa hadn't considered that. She changed the subject, "Your mother can see the future, why didn't you tell me?"

"Didn't really cross my mind. My mother never shares her visions and she only sees flashes of the future. Not the entire picture. And she has learned how to block out visions concerning great wars."

"Well she saw me taking the Infinity Gems."

Loki turned around in bed, shocked. "What?"

"She told me that she'd known what the Gauntlet really was for ages. But she never told Odin…She's afraid of that much power."

Loki's eyes were calculating and confused as if he was trying to piece together a puzzle only he could see. He absentmindedly put a hand on Vanessa's shoulder, gently moving his thumb over her skin as he thought.

"What else did she say?"

Vanessa hesitated. She didn't want to share Frigga's cryptic warning just yet. "She said you and Thor are stubborn bastards like Odin."

"Lovely," said Loki dryly. "I suppose I should be sorry about turning on the bath while you were sleeping."

"But you're not because you're an ass and I hate you."

"You can go sleep in the tub again."

"No, it's your turn, I did it last night. I'm quite comfortable where I am, thank you."

"I am part of the Royal family, I am above such sleeping quarters."

"Yeah, and technically I'm the new head of the Carver Society, which hands succession down like royalty does. So tough, Ice Bitch. Either go sleep in the tub or stop arguing with me."

Vanessa could practically feel Loki rolling his eyes at her. Deciding to say nothing but she could tell, he was glad that they were back on normal terms again. Or as normal as the two could possibly get. Vanessa blinked a few times while staring at a dark corner. The shadows were dancing. As usual, Vanessa felt her heart beat quicken. She tried to block out the illusion, to make it go away, but the shadows turned to flames and Vanessa could almost feel the heat of them.

She squeezed her eyes shut and curled up beside Loki hoping he would mistake her need for comfort for affection. He said nothing just warmed to her touch. Vanessa let out a sigh of relief she didn't know she was holding in.

**Kitchen-Stark Tower, New York, New York**

Natasha Romanoff hated feeling like a sitting duck. She was tired of training long and hard with Clint and Steve, she was tired of going over the same paperwork, she was tired of questioning the SHIELD leaks and she was tired of Tony setting off explosions in an attempt to make Bruce Hulk out. Fury wanted to keep the Avengers (minus Thor) on Earth, watching and waiting, ready to act if something happened. But the Black Widow was beginning to feel envious of The Woman up on Asgard. Vanessa Brown was actually doing something useful.

Tony had suggested that Natasha think of this as something of a break. But secret agents never took breaks. Even when she was off duty, Natasha was always watching for something that was out of the ordinary. Like the salad she was picking at. Since when did Natasha ever eat a fruit salad?

She sighed heavily, picking at a cantaloupe. That's when she noticed the flash of blue. She slowly let her fork fall and crept out of her seat, her fingers brushing her gun. There were people inside, people that were not authorized.

"JARVIS, give me the locations on all the Avengers. Now."

Wait. Natasha knew that voice. Still, this was a world with magic. It could be a trick. Natasha dropped and rolled around a corner pulling out her gun and aiming it as she did so.

"Put that the_ fuck_ down, Tasha!" Yup, that was Vanessa Brown…holding a case with the Tesseract, looking irritated and tired. Loki, Thor and Jane stood behind her. Jane had her arms up in surrender and the two gods were exchanging looks.

"What are you doing here…with that?" Natasha stood and put her gun away.

"Oh, do something useful and call up Director Fury and Phil and tell them to get their asses here. JARVIS I asked you to do something."

"Ma'am, Mr. Stark says that he is 'doing science and does not want to be disturbed.'"

"Yeah? Well tell the bastard that unlimited power is in his kitchen. How's that for science? Also, get Barton, Rogers and Banner up here. And if I have to ask you to do it again I'm reprogramming you to meow like a cat."

"Well it seems you're back to normal then," Natasha whipped out her phone and started scrolling through her contacts.

"Yeah? Well at least I'm still good at keeping up appearances." Vanessa strolled past Natasha, still holding onto the Tesseract tightly.

"Yes?" came Fury's voice over the phone. "Nike and Norse are back with Foster…with the Tesseract."

.

There was an uneasy tension in the room. Vanessa stood at the head of the table, still keeping a firm grip on the cube. Tony was scratching his beard while Bruce refused to look anywhere but the Tesseract. Every so often, Natasha and Clint would exchange a look. Steve was brooding and Fury and Phil were looking around the room at everyone. Thor and Loki had their eyes towards the heavens while Jane's gaze never left Thor.

"He's up there. We got out with hours to spare," muttered Thor as her nervously swung his hammer.

"If you spin that again, I'm throwing you out a window," Loki responded, not taking his eyes off the sky.

"Now is not the time for making joke—"

"All right," Phil cut in calmly. "What did you guys find out?"

"Thanos was trying to brain wash me," Vanessa answered. "I think his play was to turn me on SHIELD so as to make his job easier. But I'm healed now." A lie. But nobody needed to know that Vanessa was still having trouble separating real life from illusions. "We took the Tesseract with us so Thanos could not steal it. Once he finds that the Tesseract is gone, he'll make his way back here."

"And what are we doing with it?" Fury crossed his arms.

"I'm entrusting the protection to Banner, nobody else may touch it. In the event that Banner is needed for the protection of the world, the job of watching the Tesseract will fall to Phil Coulson and Maria Hill. No offense, Director, but I don't trust you with the cube."

Fury ignored the jib and nodded. "Anything else we need to know?"

Vanessa glanced at Loki who was still focused on the sky. The three gems were hidden in one of his pockets. She stared at Fury and shook her head. "We need to do all the prepping we can. He'll be here with an army soon."

**Treasure Room-The Palace, Asgard**

Unlike the fool, the trickster god, Thanos had no need to prove himself in a glorious battle. But he did need a distraction. The Other along with the Chitauri and a new ally, the Dark Elves, were in battle with the warriors of Asgard. This was all so that Thanos could slip into the treasure room unnoticed by all, including that "all seeing" gate keeper.

Should a few Asgarians meet their end today, well, that was just another gift to Death.

Thanos gave a wicked smile and with a simple wave of his hand, the two guards watching the room were silenced forever. He pushed forward and inside. Had Thanos not been in a hurry, he would have taken the time to appreciate the entire splendor kept in this room. There were treasures of time and space gleaming from every corner. The Allfather kept much power in this room. But there was only one thing Thanos was after.

He glided forward, deeper into the room and stopped dead. He had seen in the Woman's mind that the Tesseract would be here. Yet Thanos could not feel the cube's energy nor could he see it. Had her mind not been damaged enough?

No, it obviously had not. She did somehow manage to escape the caves, killing everyone inside. But…how? What powers did she possess? He should have twisted and damaged her mind beyond repair. The Woman should not have been able to warn the trickster and the God of Thunder.

But she must have found a way to outsmart him. There was no possible way that the Gatekeeper could have known. Thanos had only allowed the ancient man to see him hours ago. He had been beaten by a mortal. She would pay for that dearly.

Livid, Thanos let out a blast of magic, knocking over everything in the room. Loud clangs echoed and rang throughout the room. Precious items dented and tore. The banners ripped. The wind Thanos was controlling was alive, it was destroying. Through the wind a blast of magic burst through and hit Thanos in the chest, making him lose his focus.

As the wind died down, the king and queen of Asgard had made thait presence known. It was the queen who had cast the magic. Odin held his sword out threating. The Allfather was a fool indeed if he thought that weapons could hold Thanos back. His wife had more of a chance at facing off with the titian. Her powers were great, Thanos could sense them stirring inside her. It was no wonder now why Loki was so skilled in his magic. He had learned from someone powerful.

Thanos sneered, "Little king," he chided, "put your weapon down. You have thwarted me in getting the Tesseract, I mean now to only take back what is mine from the humans."

"You shall not pass and enter into Midgard without a fight," the Allfather thundered.

Still sneering, Thanos sent a gust of power towards the king. The queen deflected it back towards him without hesitation. She was quick as well as powerful.

So a duel began. Thanos against the Queen of Asgard. He meant to strike while her only move was to defend. She would meet her end eventually. They continued on, Thanos shouting insults while the Allfather looked on, not knowing what to do. He possessed some magic, but his skills were nowhere near that of his wife's. Besides, the Allfather was weary; he was due for the Odinsleep.

Breaking the routine, the queen shot a force of power so strong it sent Thanos flying into the air. He slammed into a pillar and dropped like a rag doll onto the floor. His head was reeling for a moment but then slammed back into focus. There it was.

Directly in front of Thanos, lay the Infinity Gauntlet. Three of its gems were missing. But the red gem of Power, the green gem of Soul and the yellow Reality were still intact.

When Thanos had last seen the Gauntlet, all six gems were in place. But Eternity, disguised as an enchantress had tricked Thanos into giving it up. She must have given it to an ancestor of Odin, not telling him the Gauntlet's true power. Maybe, she even removed some of the gems and scattered them throughout space for safekeeping.

But Eternity was a fool. She must have known that one day, Thanos would once again be reunited with the Gauntlet. And he would stop at nothing to locate the missing gems. Stretching forth his hand, Thanos took the Gauntlet and stood, caressing it lovingly.

"What a fool you are, Allfather, keeping this without protection." The Allfather stared blankly at Thanos, but a look of panic flashed across the queen's face. "Ah, while you know not the powers of this precious thing, your wife seems to know. For centuries, Allfather, you've held the key to the Universe, they key to unlimited power. And it has just been here, laying in your vault."

Thanos slipped the Gauntlet on and it molded to fit his long, sleek fingers perfectly. He sighed, enjoying the power the coursed though him now. It was not nearly as satisfying as the feeling the Gauntlet brought when all gems were in place, but it would do. He would have the power rightfully restored to him in time.

Quick as a flash, Thanos sent a blast at the King and he fell over, trapped in the Odin's sleep. The queen fell to her knees and took her husbands face in her hands and stared defiantly up at Thanos.

There was no more time to waste. The Allfather could not protect the mortals on Midgard now. He would wake in time. But by the time that he did, Earth would be destroyed. His sons along with it.

Midgard, the easiest world to take; yet its people were strong and defiant. They would fight. Thanos would break them and burn them. He would take back the Tesseract and offer the people of the world unto the beautiful and great Death.

And the Woman and the Trickster? They would suffer and burn for all of time. Thanos would make them pay dearly for what they had done.

He would have them both begging for merciful Death. He would burn their kingdom down, piece by piece.

**Author's Note**

**Ah, sorry for the slight wait! School got in the way last week and this past weekend was my birthday! So I had to study and celebrate! **

**Only three more chapters left before the squeal, guys! **

**As always, please leave a review and tell me what you guys thought! They make my day and I do love hearing your thoughts on every chapter! **

**Until next time! Cheers, you lovelies! **


	15. Arrival

I love you guys! This chapter gets its name from the track "Arrival" from the Avengers soundtrack. I had the whole thing on repeat as I wrote this baby out.

**Arrival**

**Stark Tower, Training Room-New York, New York**

Vanessa let out a grunt as she fired a Destroyer gun. She was just shy of a bull's eye. She swore under her breath and pulled the leaver that loaded the gun again. Natasha was good with guns, Clint was good with a bow and arrow, Vanessa was good with hand-to-hand combat. But her fighting specialty would only get her so far.

Two days ago, Sif and the Warriors Three had arrived with news. Thanos had an alliance with the Dark Elves. He had cast a spell on Odin, putting him in the Odinsleep and had stolen the golden glove from the treasure room. Nobody apart from Frigga, Loki and Vanessa knew just what that golden glove was.

Vanessa shot again; a perfect hit, and wiped her brow and left the training room. She was tired. Not in the same way that she had been when Vanessa escaped the Caves. Vanessa was just exhausted. Phil credited that to Vanessa getting back into shape, but the feeling was different. It didn't feel quite like that. The only other explanation Vanessa could come up with was that all the stress she was feeling was making it harder to keep the energy up.

There was also so much to do. SHEILD was working with the city of New York on evacuation procedures and ways to keep the public out of harm's way. The police force was going through extensive training and the Army was working on their response time. Meanwhile the Avengers were learning how to use weapons developed from the Destroyer and early Phase Two tech. Stark had even pulled out some of the old Stark Industries weapons for his personal use. Everyone was on red alert.

"Because I'm the only one who can!" said a worried voice from around the corner.

On instinct, Vanessa flattened herself against the wall, blending into the shadows and listening in.

"Brother, there must be some other way," said Thor. He didn't sound happy, he sounded worried.

"No, there is not. Nobody else knows how to deal with him like I do. He would kill anyone else on sight. It has to be me."

Vanessa could picture Thor accepting defeat and nodding his head.

"And, Thor, you cannot tell her," Loki warned.

"But, it would be unwise to keep secrets from her, Loki. You two are—"

"If she knows the plan, she'll try and stop me. She thwarts it and we all die. You have to promise me that whatever else happens, you keep her ignorant of the plan and you keep her away from me. You keep her safe."

"Is that your last—?"

"Yes. Now come on. I suppose we should be meeting with Sif and the others soon."

Vanessa counted the heavy footsteps, her mind racing. What was Loki planning? Obviously something dangerous otherwise Loki would not have asked for Thor to keep Vanessa out of the loop. He never mentioned her by name, but it was painfully clear that he meant her.

"Are you all right?"

Vanessa gasped, pulling herself out of her thoughts and stared blankly at Steve Rogers. "What?" she asked.

"You look really pale. If you're sick you should be resting up not—"

"I'm perfectly fine, Rogers. It's just incredibly stressful right now."

"I know what you mean," Steve sighed.

Vanessa felt herself soften. Right now, looking at Steve, he looked so old. It was his eyes; they'd seen more than anyone else had. To close your eyes in one decade and open them in another would do that to a person. But Steve Rogers was a man of steel. He kept dependable and strong. He kept his face neutral and he watched. Steve Rogers knew how to put aside his own feelings and get a job done better than anyone else. Vanessa felt suddenly guilty, and sick at how she'd treated him the past few months.

.

"It's because of everything that's about to happen, that's all,"

"No it's not. One minute I'm angry and irritated and the next, I'm sobbing while apologizing to Captain fucking America for the way I've acted towards him. I'm such a mess, Loki!"

They were lying in Vanessa's bed. The sun was setting; finally, there was a break from work in the day. Since coming back from Asgard, Loki and Vanessa had not been able to spend as much time alone together. They were both in an out of training and Vanessa spent a lot of time with Phil, trying to rebuild their relationship. This was the first time that they had been alone together in days.

Vanessa was too tired and too embarrassed to be angry with Loki. She knew he was planning something, but he didn't know that she knew. Now was not the time to be angry. Not when time was so scarce. Vanessa would figure out what he was planning, but she could do it without going through Loki.

"Tell me honestly," Loki gently brushed a lock of hair our of Vanessa's face, "how are you?"

It was such a loaded question. Vanessa felt her lower lip trembling. "I don't know," she quivered. "I just…I feel like my body is in shut down and my mind is still so fragile."

"Yes, the healing process is a long one," Loki agreed, he began playing with Vanessa's hair. "But I've seen you train. You are in your element then. You just feel the hits more when you're done because you are still on the mend."

Loki shut his eyes, his face lined with concern and fear. Suddenly, he winced and his eyes flew open. Vanessa stared at him, worried.

"What did you see?" she asked.

"They'll be here soon. The Other left me a warning."

"How soon? What warning?"

"We have a day. He said that 'they are coming, they are strong and what can we do but burn?'"

Vanessa felt her body chill, goose bumps rising on her neck. She started to get up but Loki pulled her back down.

"We have time. Very little, but we have a little to ourselves at least," Loki pulled Vanessa to him until it was only the clothing they wore that separated them. "Twenty-seven hours until they hit Midgard's atmosphere."

It was almost as though Loki was pleading as his lips crushed against Vanessa's. He was kissing her in a way that he'd never done before. It was full of longing and love and passion—yet it was alarming.

Still, Vanessa was powerless against Loki. She dug her fingernails into his back, pulling him on top of her. He kissed her collarbone while his hands wandered. Smoothly, Loki pulled her shirt over her head and kissed her breasts. Rapidly, his mouth was against hers again.

"Please," Loki broke away. His eyes were burning into Vanessa's like fire, "Whatever happens, always remember that I love you." He kissed her again lightly. "Remember this…remember how I love you."

"Loki…?"

But he took over again, silencing Vanessa. How could she forget? How could she ever forget Loki when he was showing her what exactly if felt like to be completely loved?

**SHEILD Helicarrier-New York, New Work**

Vanessa Brown was a completely different person now in this moment than what she was just last night. Loki was right, when Vanessa was doing work for SHIELD, even just prep work, her focus was perfect.

Night had fallen over New York City and the police force had their work cut out of them. A smaller city would have been easier to defend. But New York was the city that never slept. There were thousands that were disobeying the evacuation orders, opting instead to stay at home or party. And those that had rushed to obey had to deal with traffic. There would be civilian casualties.

But Vanessa refused to let her mind wander to that. She was going over how to use her weapons and combat techniques while she prepped herself for battle. Very soon, the Avengers plus Loki, Sif, the Warriors Three, and Vanessa would be boarding a jet and landing in Manhattan. They all had stations in which to stand and fight. The Army was already in position; the police force had a perimeter set up and was dealing with traffic…and Thanos' army…they were hovering in the clouds waiting for the right moment to strike.

Vanessa stuck several more bobby pins in place, trying to flatten her curly and impossible hair against her skill. Her hair was too long to wear down and putting it in a pony tail would mean that the enemy could easier grab her and throw her to the ground for an easy kill. She stared at her reflection. Her hair still looked untamed but it was secure and out of her eyes. The pupils were dilated and Vanessa's skin was pale.

She padded to the other side of her tiny prep-room, her combat boots thumping against the floor. Vanessa clipped on two thigh holsters and an ankle one. Next came the supply belt that held several knifes and seemingly harmless items like a string. There was also a small can of bear spray attached. She carefully attached thick wristbands on which contained small missile like objects not unlike Natasha's widow bites. Although, they one's Vanessa wore contained technology from Phase Two. So did the two guns attached to Vanessa's thighs, one held the finished technology based off of the Destroyer and the other contained the unfinished technology from the Tesseract. The latter, was faulty, but a necessary precaution. Vanessa would try to avoid the Phase Two gun if she could. The gun by her ankle was perfectly normal with no alien tech whatsoever. Vanessa figured she could use it to destroy any locks she might encounter, or she could use it in close-range combat. Lastly, Vanessa put in her comms unit. She could hear Fury calling for everyone to meet outside at the bow.

Vanessa took at deep breath, and checked her reflection one last time making sure her face was stoic before leaving her prep room for maybe the last time. She took long strides walking straight-backed and proud while listening to the rhythm her boots played out. Inside, she was beginning to tremble.

Soon, Vanessa was stepping outside, ignoring the looks and words of encouragement from fellow SHIELD workers. The wind slapped against Vanessa's face and she resisted the urge to curse loudly. Conditions were less than ideal. Before the sun had shone high and there really had not been a place to hide. But tonight, it was dark and the clouds were heavy. The chance of rain was high.

Everyone else was already gathered, standing in a circle. There was a gap left for Vanessa beside Loki and Steve. Pepper and Jane were also in attendance. They would stay on the Helicarrier for safety, but Pepper was not going to sit idly by. She would be communicating with Tony and sending Stark Tech out to attach itself to the Iron Man suit when Tony's weapons supply was running low. If for some reason his suit became too damaged, Tony would fly back to base and don a new one. But what could Jane do? Her studies as an Astrophysicst could not help. She stood by Thor, clinging to him while trying to hold back tears.

Vanessa took her place in the circle and she felt Loki grab for her hand. Adjacent to her, Clint was watching the two carefully; he raised his eyebrows in disgust. Since coming back from Asgard, Loki and Vanessa had kept their relationship as quiet as possible. But it soon became obvious to everyone that there was something going on. Vanessa stared at him impassively before letting her eyes fall on Phil. He was standing, head down, holding the case, which held the Tesseract. He looked up, his face completely void of emotions, but Vanessa could sense how nervous he was.

Fury stepped forward, "I don't have much to say. You all know the plan, stick to it and look out of each other. You all have comms units, use them to communicate. Remember who you're fighting against," Fury's eye flicked to Loki, untrusting, "Come back alive."

There was a chorus of "Yes, sir" around the circle. And everyone started making their way to the jet that would take them to Manhattan.

"Vanessa," Phil called.

She turned and dropped Loki's hand. Vanessa rushed towards Phil and flung her arms around him. This might be the last time she would see him. Phil Coulson, her teacher, her mentor, her father figure. He'd always been patient and kind, always looking out for Vanessa.

"I love you, Phil," Vanessa whispered, "I know I don't say it often enough, but I do."

"I love you too, come back in one piece," Phil squeezed Vanessa and looked Loki in the eyes over Vanessa's shoulder. "You make sure she comes back alive, all right."

It was not a request, it was a demand. Loki nodded once, "I promise to do everything in my power to make sure she comes back."

Phil accepted this and let go of Vanessa. She turned and noticed for the first time that Loki was holding the scepter.

"Why do you have that?"

"Thor insisted," murmured Loki. Vanessa accepted this and took his free hand again and they stepped up into the jet. She turned and gave Phil a small wave before the back lifted up and closed.

Nobody said anything. Tony was fidgeting with the helmet of his suit while everyone else, save for Thor, Loki and Bruce, started working on getting jet packs on their backs. Using parachutes to get to their spots would have been too risky, they were too slow. So everyone had to learn how to properly use a jet pack. Once they were all in position, they would lose their packs. Flying around trying to kill aliens was fine if you had a suit like Tony's, were a Hulk like Bruce or a god, but that was still too dangerous for a human. Plus, the packs were heavy.

They had been separated into teams. Alpha team consisted of Steve, Tony, Clint and Bruce. Tony, Clint, and Bruce would be primarily working in the air, and because Steve was captain, he was part of the Alpha team even though he started with the women of Beta team. The Beta team held Vanessa, Natasha, Sif and Loki. The women of Beta team would be positioned in the "kill box" working to try and keep the fighting centered while Loki would be positioned on top of a building trying to take down any Chitarui and Dark Elves before they could cause much damage. Gamma team held Thor and the Warriors Three. Like Loki, the Warriors Three would be atop a building, though, they would be together. Thor would be working to diminish the enemy numbers with his lightning but he also had the task of keeping his Asgardian friends in the know when it came to human military terms.

They were circling over Manhattan now and the back was being lowered again. Tony put on his helmet, grabbed Clint and flew out of the jet without a word. He was listening to JARVIS probably. Bruce gave a nervous nod to the group before jumping from the jet. He transformed into the Hulk mid-air and landed with a very loud thump on the street below. Hogun, Volstagg, and Fandrall all saluted before turning on their jet packs and giving a war cry as they soared out.

Thor stepped forward and placed a hand on Loki's shoulder before giving his younger brother a long look. Loki stared back, silently communicating with his brother. Thor's eyes slid to Vanessa and then to her hand entwined with Loki's and gave a sad smile. He lurched Mjölnir forward and he too, was gone. Steve and Natasha flipped on their jet packs and together lunged from the jet, Sif close behind.

It was just Vanessa and Loki left. They walked towards the edge together before turning to share a look.

"You be careful," Vanessa stammered, "whatever it is you're planning, just be careful."

"How did you—"

"It's written all over your face. Loki please, don't do anything stupid!"

"Could say the same thing to you," said Loki softly as he gently caressed Vanessa's face. He kissed her long and slow. "It'll be fine in the end, I promise."

And then he too was gone. Biting back the fear Vanessa flipped out of the jet, turning on her pack as she did so. She landed a few feet from Natasha and immediately set to taking off her pack. Vanessa threw it aside and slowly drew the Destroyer gun from its holster.

It was like the world was holding in its breath and then, very suddenly, Thanos' army was descending down upon New York City.

.

"Damnit to hell!" Tony shouted.

"What?" Steve replied

"A few Chitauri went outside the perimeter!"

"Turn them around!"

"I need a little help! Thor, get over here!"

Vanessa paid little mind to the nose in her comms unit. She flipped forward, avoiding a blast from a Chitauri and knocked the creature to the ground. They struggled, fighting for the opportunity to kill the other. Finally, Vanessa reached into her boot and pulled out a small knife. She jammed in into the neck of Chitauri and it slumped forward on to her, dead. Vanessa set her head down for a moment, panting. She let her eyes wander, taking in the chaos around her before pushing the dead creature off her and rolling to her feet, drawing her Destroyer gun.

Sif was locked in combat with a Dark Elf while Natasha was all over the place trying to knock down as many of the enemy as she could, Steve was a little further away doing the same thing.

"Crisis averted," Tony said announcing that he had either taken out the perimeter breaching Chitauri or that he had turned them to dust.

"Are you kidding?" Clint asked, his tone heavy with disbelief. "We are far from averting a crisis!"

"And I just prevented it from getting bigger."

"Shut up, you two!" Vanessa growled as she found herself in the center of a group of Chitauri. "Just don't talk unless you have something important to say!"

She jumped up, avoiding a blast while send out one of her own. One Chitauri down. Out of the blue, something came swinging towards Vanessa. Before she could react, it hit her right in the stomach, knocking her off her feet and sent her into a wall. It was a discarded jet pack thrown by a Dark Elf.

Vanessa struggled to breathe while trying to stand as her vision blurred. A Chitauri saw her disadvantage and made a run for her. Vanessa blinked, trying to clear her vision and raise a hand to defend herself.

But someone else beat her to it. Sif sent her sword into the alien's side before pulling it out and hitting it in the head with a rock. Vanessa stood, clutching her stomach while trying to block out the pain.

"Thanks," she managed.

Sif gave a self-satisfied smirk before charging off into the fray again. Vanessa waited another moment for her head to clear and she too, dashed back into the fray. From where she was, it was impossible to tell just how much damage was actually being done and how many civilians had died. And it was still dark. The night would be long and right now, the battle could go either way.

Clint had been asking all to collect his fallen arrows so he would never have to worry about running out. Periodically, Stark would land, pick up the arrows and return them to the Hawkeye. This teamwork was odd.

Vanessa spied a fallen arrow and picked it up. Until Tony came back down, Vanessa had no problem using this as another weapon.

.

"He's right!" Natasha yelled minutes later as the two agents stood back to back shooting at Chitauri. "That scepter does sort of distort and make those near it a bit awful!"

Vanessa chanced a glance at Loki. He was on a rooftop blasting those small jet ski like Chitauri ships down with his scepter while using his magic daggers and other methods of combat. He truly did look terrifying.

"He looks more like the Loki I knew,"

"Easy, Romanoff," Vanessa pulled the trigger blasting a Dark Elf and three Chitauri out. "He does not need people doubting him. Loki is on our side and he didn't even want to use the scepter."

"When we get done with this, you're sitting down with me and telling me what the hell is actually going on between you two!"

"_If_ we get out of this alive, I'm taking a leave of absence!"

A Dark Elf lunged at Vanessa knocking her gun out of her hands while another one came at Natasha. Reacting quickly, Vanessa pulled one of Clint's arrows that she had recovered and jammed it into the eye of the elf.

It happened immediately.

Suddenly, there was no Dark Elf in front of her. There was only Charlie as the life left him. Vanessa was back on that rooftop from almost ten years ago. Her eyes grew wide, reliving the horror. She couldn't move.

"_Yes, my pet, did you really think He would not use yourself against you? You are trapped here."_

_No. No, I'm not trapped. This is fake. This is just a memory._

"_No, my pet, this is the reality. Earth has been lost and you will die here reliving the worst of yourself for an eternity. You will cry out for Death and she won't answer."_

_I can get out. Focus, Nessa. What did you learn from Frigga? Come on, get it together. Find the reality poking through. What's not right? _

Vanessa's eyes trailed her memory. Everything seemed right. There was Charlie, dead and Agent Barton up high with his bow and arrows yelling for Vanessa to get up and run. She was on solid ground.

Vanessa felt herself despair. And she stood with every intention of running far away from this memory and all her others. She would run forever if she had to. Vanessa took one sweeping look at the dead Charlie and the younger Clint and bolted, her feet pounding against the ground like a drum.

She whipped the tears from her eyes and headed straight for the stairs that would take her to the ground. Where would she go from there? Vanessa had no idea. Would she even be able to run from her memories? And what was this grime on her hands?

Vanessa slowed to a stop, staring at her hands in disbelief. Blood and bits of dead Chitauri were mixed together and dried. But what alarmed her most was the arrow still in her hand and the arrows still strapped to her belt.

This could be reality but it was also littered with illusion. Vanessa was trapped inside her head but there was something off about it. Now, as Vanessa was thinking she could hear it. The faint sound of the battle going on. Her reality, her present was still happening. But how could she escape? How could she drive herself out of her mind? Frigga had never taught her how to escape her mind, just how to spot the false shadows in her waking hours.

Vanessa was not going to cry. She could do this. She could figure this out. There had to be a way out. Her eyes fell to the arrow in her hands again and Vanessa tried to brace herself. It was worth a try. She sucked in air as Vanessa drove the tip into her thigh and she let out a scream of pain willing herself not to fall.

.

When Vanessa opened her eyes, New York was in front of her.

"CLINT GET UP, YOU BASTARD, GET UP!"

Vanessa had never heard Natasha shout like that and she looked wildly around for the Black Widow and the Hawkeye. Clint must have fallen for he was on the ground now but Vanessa could see that his eyes were open. Natasha was running for her partner, hardly noticing the blasts sent her way. But Clint was not dead. His eyes were an eerie blue.

Terrified for a moment Vanessa found Loki who was fighting alongside Thor. The two Asgardian Princes seemed to be enjoying themselves.

_No, Loki has not turned. He did not do this to Clint._

Vanessa wanted to hit herself for momentarily suspecting Loki. He would not. But as she pushed that thought from her mind, a realization hit her. Clint was not being controlled, he was not dead. Thanos was doing to him what he had just done to Vanessa. She bounded forward, closer to Clint than Natasha was.

"NO!" Vanessa shouted pulling the Phase Two gun from its holster. Vanessa cocked it and pointed it at the Elf holding a knife, ready to kill the Hawkeye. She met the creature's eyes and smirked before pulling the trigger. Vanessa knelt down beside Clint and studied him for a moment. "This is going to hurt, Barton, and I'd be lying if I said I would not enjoy this a little."

She raised her gun and wacked Clint in the head with it, twice. His eyes cleared and his face looked bewildered and scared. But Clint was up in a second wrenching the arrow from Vanessa and lining it up perfectly with his bow, pointing it at Loki.

"He's going to pay,"

"Don't you dare!" Vanessa took the bow and twisted it. "Barton, that was not Loki! That was Thanos!"

"No. It. Wasn't!" Clint bared his teeth. "I know it was him—he did something with that scepter!"

"No, Barton, it was Thanos tricking you and—"

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TWO DOING?"

"Stay back, Tasha!" Clint twisted his bow and took the upper hand. He had Vanessa on the ground the tip of the arrow against her neck. "I will take you out if I have to. You and the traitor can die together and we'll all be better off."

There was a crack of lightning and Vanessa and Clint saw each other clearly through the darkness. Clint's eyes had not cleared. Thanos had his mind in control and would use the agent of SHIELD to take on the Avengers. Vanessa had learned to fight Thanos off while Clint had not. Terror seized her as another strike of lightning tore across the sky. The rain began to fall at last.

**Author's Note**

**HA! I'm mean. I know. I don't really know what to put here, to be honest. Two more chapters are left. I'm wondering, do you want me to announce the title of the sequel in the next chapter or wait until I've posted the final one?**

**Let me know what you think about everything in the review! I love you guys, Cheers!**


	16. Eyes Open

Second to last chapter. The song is Eyes Open by Taylor Swift. This is a weird feeling. Being almost done. Once again, I own nothing except Vanessa. Everything else is Marvel and nothing (everything) hurts. Also, I'm suffering from Post-Pond Depression for all of you who watch Doctor Who. Also, you may have noticed that this story has a cover picture! It was made by the wonderful and very talented vchrisi! Follow her on tumblr—her icon is perfection!

**Eyes Open**

**Manhattan-New York, New York**

Suddenly, everyone was talking all at once and Vanessa had to fight to get the attention over everyone in her comms unit. The rain was falling hard and fast and it was impairing her vision horribly.

"I need Gamma team down here to back up Sif and Romanoff. Do not shoot."

"You think trying to spare me will make me spare your life?" This new and twisted possessed Clint laughed harshly. "I'm going to enjoy killing you!"

Vanessa felt chills down her spine but she didn't falter in her fight to keep the tip of Clint's arrow from piercing her neck. She couldn't shake the rain from her eyes. Vanessa would have only her wits to help her for the next few minutes.

"When you wake up, when you really, properly wake up, Clint, and see what good work you've done on me, you'll want to die," The Warriors Three had landed on the ground and started taking over the battle on the ground, meanwhile, Natasha stood, petrified. "You'll wonder just how you managed to do something so horrible without batting an eye. And then, you'll realize that it was Thanos, that Thanos was always behind it. If you succumb to his control now, he'll forever have a hold on you."

Clint pressed the arrow forward slightly, his evil blue eyes looking positively mad. Vanessa could see Thanos staring back through them maliciously. "There is no Thanos."

"I can take him out right now, I have a clear shot." Loki's voice came smoothly through the comms for the first time that night.

"I've got this, Ice Bitch. You watch the skies," Vanessa never took her eyes from Clint. She forced herself to remain calm. Everyone had to think that she had everything under control when in fact, everything could horribly wrong.

"Did you see Barney, Clint?" Vanessa asked, refusing to delay her verbal strike any longer. "Did you see the moment when you were too late to join him in the Army or the moment when you realized you nearly killed him?"

"Vanessa…"Phil warned in her ear, "What are you doing."

"Did he show you the nightmares you had after New York last time?" Vanessa continued despite Phil's warnings. She could see a shadow of doubt, a bit of the real Clint, the agent she knew. "You do know that those are Nightmares Loki never saw. But Thanos—"

Clint slammed Vanessa's head against the pavement. "There is no Thanos!"

"Now you know that's a lie, Agent Barton. You and I, we see him when we sleep. We see those cold eyes in the dark, we see him laughing and we see the worst of ourselves because of him. He never left you three years ago, Clint. But you can shut him down."

There was a blast somewhere in the distant and the roar of the Hulk was heard. Thor came speeding by in the background; But Vanessa never let her focus wander. She was more herself in this moment than she had been in ages. She was a woman on a mission with a clear objective. And she could see Clint's hateful exterior weakening. It was time to strike.

Vanessa wrapped her legs around Clint and whipped him around so he hit the ground hard. They both stood to face the other quickly, ready to fight. Vanessa eyed Clint warily while he was cold. He shot an arrow and Vanessa ducked at the last second, swinging a leg out to knock him off his feet. Clint jumped, avoiding the blow with ease.

Clint pulled a knife and Vanessa grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back, putting pressure until the knife fell from his hand. She kicked it away and Natasha, still captivated by her two colleagues was quick to pick it up.

Furious, Clint spun around and wacked Vanessa hard in the stomach. She doubled over, gasping at the pain of it before bending backwards to avoid another blow. Swiftly, Clint grabbed Vanessa's forearms applying pressure and force. Vanessa knew his move before he made it, and she was quick to prepare herself.

The Hawkeye made to flip The Woman off her feet, but she was quicker. Using the force he was applying to her advantage, Vanessa made good use of a classic martial arts move that never seemed to fail. She trapped his neck between her legs, nearly choking Clint and flipped him forward. Clint staggered and his head slammed against the hard marble building. He rolled over; his hand went to cover his eyes.

Cautiously, Vanessa walked over to where Clint lay and knelt down next to him. She fumbled with her belt for a moment before pulling a flashlight loose. Slowly, she uncovered his eyes and shone the light on them. Clint looked slightly dazed, horrified and disgusted with himself. But his eyes were his.

"He had you, didn't he?" he asked quietly.

Vanessa nodded and started looking for painkillers in one of her belt pouches. "Just my memories though. You have to hurt yourself to get out of that, so he never had a chance to possess me fully."

"But you hit him in the head," Natasha had joined them now.

"I don't think it works like that," Vanessa found the painkillers and dropped four into Clint's palm. "I think once he had you trapped inside your memories, you have to get out yourself. " Vanessa stood, "Barton's back. "

Vanessa fished two more painkillers out of her pack and swallowed them to try and keep all her injuries from taking over. She then spun around, shining the light from her flashlight into the eyes of an unsuspecting Dark Elf and stabbed him in the side with her machete.

Vanessa was mad with the desire to kill Thanos, to make him feel true pain. That was all she cared about right now. The master ship was up there in the skies somewhere. She had caught Thor saying something to Loki about it over the comms hours ago. That was before the two brothers started conversing in some odd language. At first, Vanessa thought it was the native language of Asgard. But Sif had said that it was a language made up by Thor and Loki when they were kids; a language that nobody but the two brothers could understand.

Vanessa found herself fighting alongside Hogan, neither of them exchanging words but Vanessa thought they worked quite well together. They were feeding off each other's strengths and targets. Those weeks in training seemed to have paid off in some way.

Up high, Clint had taken back his station, calling out strays, patters and anything that might be useful with more determination than before. Steve and Thor were on the ground trying to knock out as many enemy forces as possible while Natasha and Fandrall fought and hurled flirtatious remarks at one another. Vostagg was on his own, proving to be quite good despite his weight, and Sif was refusing help from anyone. Except Loki, who made a point of blasting a number of Sif's intended targets. Tony was assisting the Hulk in the take down of one of those whale creatures.

Vanessa had a plan, and she saw her chance. She had to take it before anything else got in the way.

"Cover me!" She ordered Hogan. Vanessa then sprinted several yards and kicked open a door. She took in the surroundings of the small business building before locating the stairs. Once she found them, Vanessa wasted no time in dashing up all ten flights. She started climbing a latter that would take her to the roof before hitting a roadblock. Vanessa would have to pick the lock on the door before she could get outside.

So she set to work, pulling the required tools off her belt while paying attention to her comms. There was hardly any progress, and a bank had just been taken out. Having Thanos' army here was a huge disadvantage; he had planned his strike well. The door swung open and Vanessa secured her tools again before rushing out into the bitterly cold rain.

Dawn was approaching fast; Vanessa could see the first rays of sunlight coming up over the horizon. But the morning was still a ways off. The rain clouds would continue to obscure vision and make the fight harder. Vanessa had to take a chance and try and stop it before it got too messy.

Natasha had told Vanessa how she had managed to hijack one of the Chitauri flying contraptions last time. Vanessa would have to duplicate that now in order to get herself up to the mother ship. Up to The Other and Thanos.

She teetered on the edge of the building, occasionally shooting down some of the enemy force with her gun. But she was mostly watching and waiting for a chance at a hijack.

"Nessa," Loki's voice was full of warning, "what are you doing?"

"Change of scenery," she responded.

Vanessa saw her chance and prepared for a jump. One small ship was flying her way; the driver watching the skies and his partner was firing away at everything he could. Vanessa pulled out her regular gun, cocked it and aimed. She had one shot. She waited two more seconds before pulling the trigger. The partner was hit right in the head and promptly fell over, crashing into the ground below.

Vanessa took a deep breath and jumped. She nearly slipped off the ship because of the rain; but Vanessa was able to get a firm grip and stay on. Vanessa carefully slipped her gun back in its holster before pulling out two small daggers. Vanessa inched forward to the pilot trying her best to stay on. Then, slowly and steady, Vanessa stood up and lunged on the Chitauri's back, driving the two small bladed into his shoulders. Taking control of the small ship, Vanessa directed it upwards.

The Chitauri was fighting her the whole way, but Vanessa had total control. Tony seemed to realize that Vanessa could no longer defend herself and made it his duty to shoot down anyone who tried taking her down. All the while, Loki was shouting in her ear, asking what she was doing before letting a few curses fly directed both at her and, for some reason, Thor.

The ride was jerky and very hard to control. All the movement almost made Vanessa want to vomit. The rain was still coming down hard and that only added to the discomfort.

Once up, among the enemy ships, it was not hard to figure out which one was the command ship. Thanos' ship was higher up than all the others and it was the only one not spewing out Chitauri and Dark Elves. Vanessa directed the ship upwards further and then, once she was level with a sort of docking bay on the master ship, she jumped, tucking her body and landing onboard. She rolled to avoid any further injury and stood up, watching the Chitauri she had hijacked plummet back to Earth.

She nodded satisfied. That had been the easiest objective of the night. Without thinking much on it, Vanessa put a finger in her ear and switched off her comms unit. She didn't want everyone hearing her death, should that be her fate. Looking braver than she felt, Vanessa rolled her shoulders back and marched into the ship, prepared to face whatever she came across.

.

Vanessa tensed, waiting around the corner. She had just thrown one of her Phase Two bites down a corridor. It had caused a small explosion. Vanessa waited, trying to listen for any life down the hallway. As the technology was still very much a mystery, she had no idea what had happened.

She slowly poked her head around the corner before pulling it back. The air was full of smoke, but all the Chitauri that had been charging at her had died. She drew her gun and slowly creped around the corner. All her senses were on high alert, suddenly, she was on just another simple mission. Except that Vanessa was covered in blood and guts. Her hair that had been pinned down so securely was slowly falling free of the bobby pins, and she was shivering, soaking wet.

Through the smoke, Vanessa spotted movement. Quick as a flash, she dropped, flattening herself against the ground, waiting for whatever it was to get closer. There were two of them, Dark Elves by the look of them.

"I think she got away," one said to the other in a tired and impatient voice.

"Those Chitauri bastards," the second one muttered. He sounded harsh, "they never call in for backup. She destroyed them.

Sliding along the wall, Vanessa was able to pass them. She doubled back sneaking up behind the elves and bashed their head's together. The clashed with a sickening _crack_ and slumped to the floor, unconscious. Satisfied, Vanessa continued on her way.

She made sure that her footfalls made no sound, that her breathing was silent. But she met nobody. Vanessa was almost positive that Thanos and The Other knew she was here. Maybe they had always known that she would come. Thanos had seen her mind after all; he knew that there were places in New York that she held scared. He knew that she would stand idly by and let her world get run down.

Thanos wanted her to come up willingly for sacrifice. The thought dawned on her and Vanessa felt like turning back and running away. He would not be kind; it would not be over in a matter of seconds. Thanos would drag it out until Vanessa could no longer beg for Death's warm embrace. She would not die until all her faith—all of herself was completely and utterly shattered beyond repair.

But she could not run. That had never been in her nature. She put one foot in front of the other, her senses still very alert. At any sign of movement, or any sound, Vanessa curled into a corner or hid in the shadows. She did not want to fight, she needed to preserve what strength she still had.

Deeper into the ship Vanessa ventured. She had no idea where she was going, but instinct told her she was on the right path. The further she walked, the stronger Thanos' presence was. She was connected to him now. They had seen each other's minds; he had tortured her without mercy for months. It was only a question of whether Vanessa could get Thanos to abandon Earth and how long she could last before breaking.

The large door before her was ominous. She could feel evil radiating from it, almost choking her. In her youth, Vanessa didn't believe in evil. But she had seen it and Thanos was evil. Refusing to tremble, Vanessa set her face and held fast to her gun. She kicked the door and it swung open easily.

The room was large, with a control unit and a large, throne like chair with its back to the door, turned instead to a window that was in place of a wall. Vanessa could see Thanos sitting in that chair, watching the battle below him and the sun slowly began to rise. He wore the Infinity Gauntlet even with the three missing gems. The Other stood just behind his master, watching Vanessa with malice in his eyes. Vanessa met his gaze with fire in hers.

"Tell me, pet," The Other tilted his head to the left in interest. "How have you managed to protect your pretty little mind for so long?"

Vanessa could tell that Thanos was hanging onto every word, intent to figure out where he went wrong with her, a mere mortal. But The Other was mocking her. He expected Vanessa to drop down screaming at unseen devils at any second.

"I suspect your master underestimated me," she replied calmly. "Or, perhaps he is not as powerful as he seems?"

It was a stupid thing to say, but Vanessa could not resist. She would use her silver tongue to torment and create doubt while she still could. The Other flashed across the room and grabbed Vanessa by the neck, knocking her gun away and pinning her to the wall.

"You dare—He who possess more power than you know. You will fall before him."

Vanessa very much wanted to protest that she was well aware of the Infinity Gauntlet, that she has worn it briefly and had stolen three of its gems. But Thanos could not know that.

"I live in a country with no kings to bow to," she choked out, "and he is not my God."

"Where is your God now, my pet?" The Other sneered, squeezing her neck a little tighter. "Your God has abandoned you and left you in the hands of one who will not show mercy. You are alone."

She was, right now, Vanessa was alone. But bringing an army would never defeat Thanos. He was much too smart to be taken down by force. Words and trickery would bring Thanos down, along with his pride and vanity. Perhaps that is why he had allied himself with Loki before. The God of Mischief could bring him down, unless he was loyal to Thanos. But anyone who possessed a skill for words could be the Titian's downfall.

There would be no point in trying to use Thanos' love for Death against him. Death would never return his love. Thanos was nothing but a man trying to prove himself by showing how powerful he was by taking a world and slaughtering them up. He wanted to prove himself in battle, to somehow do the impossible and win Death. And therein lay his fault. Death would never be won over and Thanos would put his faith in anyone who promised him the love of something impossible. Vanessa would have pitied him were it not for everything he had done.

So she would fight. Vanessa would fight until she was broken, until she could no longer delay her inevitable death. Her only comfort was that there would be others; there would always be others who would fight against the evil that threatened reality.

While The Other continued to taunt her, Vanessa let her face fall into an expression of terror. This, as she knew it would, only made The Other jeer more. He called her weak. But Vanessa would not falter. She continued to let The Other think that he was getting to her and then she struck.

Vanessa had locked her hands together and delivered a blow to The Other's stomach. He released hold of her neck and gasped, keeling over. Thanos would not help his minion, that was not like him at all. Vanessa had the feeling that whatever Thanos did, he did not particularly enjoy getting his hands dirty. He would listen and Vanessa and The Other fought. He had missed out the first time.

When Vanessa had first entered the Caves, The Other had been there, and they had fought. Obviously, The Other had won because Vanessa had to endure weeks of torture from him and his master. But Vanessa took time to learn about her opponent. The Other was strong and a little slower than her. However, Vanessa's body was screaming out in protest. She was tired. Vanessa had no idea how long she could keep the fight up. Her only hope was that maybe, with her in hand, Thanos would depart from Earth in favor of breaking her. She was supposed to be the first sacrifice after all.

So they fought, darting forward and back, delivering blows while trying to avoid a few sent their way. Vanessa kicked her legs up and hit The Other right in the chest. The force of it sent her body to the ground. She braced herself and landed on her back before rolling smoothly to the side to avoid The Other hitting her in the head with her own gun. She went up behind him and grabbed his arm, pulling it at a breakable angel.

But The Other was smart. He spun around pulling a knife out of nowhere as he did. He slapped Vanessa so hard with the back of his hand; she went reeling, the room spinning. Taking another advantage, he knocked her down on the floor and stuck the knife at her throat, digging his knee into her stomach as he did so. Vanessa's breathing shuddered.

"There is life inside you, my pet," he taunted in a falsely sweet voice, almost as if he was trying to sound like he was talking with a lover.

"Y—yes," Vanessa gasped, "Yo—you're not s-strong enough to—to break me."

There was something so unnerving and knowing in The Other's smirk. "We shall enjoy breaking you. Pet, you've given us many advantages."

"I—"

There was a crash as something came flying into the room flying over The Other and Vanessa. It was magic and it turned over Thanos' throne. The titian was able to stop himself from falling to the floor, but he turned, a little awkwardly and his cold blue eyes narrowed.

"You are wise to return, for He would have found you anyway," snarled The Other.

"I request an audience with Thanos," said Loki formally. He was tall and imposing and there was not a hint of a mischievous glint in his eyes. Loki looked livid and determined.

"Loki wh—what are you d—doing?"

The green eyes met the hazel ones and Loki stared at Vanessa for a moment. Her hands were inching slowly towards the bear spray on her belt. Loki gave a small shake of his head and Vanessa abandoned the efforts. Her face was turning blue from the lack of oxygen.

"You'll kill her before you could even start your fun," Loki spat to The Other, "I suggest you think about what it is you are doing."

The Other made to protest but Thanos, speaking for the first time cut in. "The trickster is right. Let this foolish woman breathe. "

The Other had no choice but to obey his master. He slid off Vanessa and she coughed and sputtered, trying to take in as much air as she could. The Other forced Vanessa to her feet and held her gun against her head.

"You try anything and I'll shoot her," the creature said.

Loki raised his eyes, almost amused. "No you won't. You won't do anything without the consent of your master. You are no better than a begging dog."

"You have come to offer your alliance in exchange for this woman's life?" Thanos crossed his arms looking amused.

"That would be the errand of a fool. We both know that there is no chance or reinstating our former alliance. Not that I would want to anyway." Loki casually walked the perimeter of the room like he owned it before stopping and turning to Thanos, crossing his arms. "I would speak with you privately."

The titian and the god stared at each other, neither one talking. Confused, Vanessa looked between the two waiting for something to happen. She could tell that The Other was curious too, but he did not seem confused by the actions of the two.

Then it dawned on Vanessa. Thanos and Loki were conversing telepathically. They stood for several minutes, debating something. Vanessa watched for minor facial expression changes, trying to get some faint idea as to what was being said. But it was useless and Vanessa looked down at her bloody hands, frustrated.

"Very well," Thanos spoke after a long while. He signaled to The Other and his minion left Vanessa's side. "We have a deal."

"What does he mean by deal?" Vanessa looked around at Loki, a feeling of panic bubbling up inside her.

Loki crossed the room, his face bravely set, muttering the words to what must have been a spell of some sort. His lips stopped moving and his eyes flickered to a spot behind Vanessa. Confused and afraid, Vanessa turned. What looked like some sort of portal or vortex had appeared. Vanessa turned wildly back around.

"What is going on? Loki—"

But she was cut off. Loki took Vanessa into his arms and kissed her forehead. He tilted her face to meet his and stared at her intently, as if trying to drink in all of her features. As if he might look away and forget her forever.

Loki let his hands travel Vanessa's face, trying to memorize the feel of her. Vanessa brought a hand to his and held it against her cheek. Her eyes were confused, trying to put the pieces together. All the while, Thanos and The Other looked on. Loki pressed his forehead to Vanessa's.

"Remember what I told you last night?" He whispered, making sure Thanos and The Other could not hear.

Vanessa nodded dimly, still confused.

"Please don't ever forget it. I love you."

And he was kissing her. His lips soft against hers, trying to take in the taste of her mouth and the feel of her breath against his. As if this were somehow his last moment with her and he wanted to make it count.

He broke away and tried to offer Vanessa some sort of smile, but it looked more like a grimace. The kiss left Vanessa feeling more uneasy than before.

"Loki," she pleaded, searching his face, "please, tell me what's going on?"

"I love you," he said sadly.

And then, before Vanessa could react, before she could even realize what was happening, Loki shoved Vanessa backwards into the portal he had created. The portal she had forgotten about for a moment. She grabbed uselessly for Loki's hands, but he was out of reach.

The portal began to slowly close and Loki turned to face the other two. He could hear Vanessa's terrified scream as Thanos struck him down and the portal closed. The two of them separated forever.

**Author's Note**

**Only one more chapter, guys! Please leave a review, let me know your thoughts? Also, I have a tumblr called seven-devils-fiction. You can ask me questions about this story or whatever tickles your fancy. You can even submit fan art that ties in with this. And we can fangirl over Loki. **

**Cheers, guys!**


	17. Never Let Me Go

So, I really have no excuse for letting this go without update for so long. I got super sick, yes (more on that on my blog) and school just took over my life. But I still could have made time. Gah! I am so sorry. I am evil.

But here it is, the last chapter before the sequel. I am so proud of this! Enjoy!

Never Let Me Go by Florence + The Machine is the song.

**Never Let Me Go**

**Manhattan-New York, New York**

Vanessa landed with a painful thud and went skidding against the torn up street. She only paused for a second before shooting up to a standing position and reaching into her ear to turn her comms unit back on. There was a lot of confusion all at once it was turned back on. But Vanessa was listening for one voice.

"Loki?" she asked, but it came out sounding like a strangled sob. There was no answer. "Loki? God damn it, Loki answer me!" another sob ripped at her throat and Vanessa felt her legs start to buckle.

She started up at the sky, dawn was upon New York City and the rain was still falling thickly. Chitauri ships were leaving fast; those left on Earth were being shot down. Her eyes frantically searched the sky for the main ship. She dimly registered Phil saying very gently over the comms that the feed in Loki's earpiece had been cut off several minutes ago. The Avengers were confused as to why there was a sudden retreat.

"No," Vanessa choked out. Her legs gave away as her eyes focused on the master ship as it lead the retreat. Without warning, tears started to flow and sobs racked her body. Vanessa doubled over, her body finally allowing her to feel everything it had endured over the past hours; and it felt like her heart had been ripped out. Where her heart should have been it felt empty. He was gone. He had given himself up for her world without even batting an eye.

"Wait?" it was Clint, and he was right behind her. Everyone was behind Vanessa; they were all trying to figure out what was happening. "Loki went away with them?"

Something snapped in Vanessa. Rage unlike anything she had ever felt before boiled over like lava. She wanted to hurt, to scream. She wanted to make someone feel just a small fraction of what she was feeling now. Vanessa stood and spun wildly around, pointing to the sky. Her eyes landed on Clint who looked to be in bad shape. Vanessa didn't care that there were tears running down her face.

"Do you trust him now?" she screamed, her eyes burning into Clint's and her throat searing. "Do you trust him now that he handed over his life so that we could win? He's gone now and nobody ever gave him a chance! He's as good as de—" She stopped. Vanessa could not say it. Loki could not be dead.

She took quick strides towards Clint, ignoring everyone else around her and swung at him, hitting the Hawkeye right in the jaw. She hit him again; spewing insults in whatever language she could think of. Someone, Natasha probably tried to pull Vanessa off, but she wrenched away. She needed to hurt something.

There was a sharp pain in Vanessa's stomach and someone much stronger than her pulled her away and embraced her. Vanessa fought against the figure, blinded by her tears before she realized that it was Thor. That he had lost Loki too…again.

**SHIELD Headquarters, Hospital Wing-New York, New York**

Just hours ago, the battle had ended. The sun was up, high over New York and the clean up had already begun. But Vanessa didn't want to look out the nearest window. She had been given a fresh set of clothes and all her injuries had been tended to. But she didn't want to move. Vanessa could not move.

So she just sat on a couch in one of the SHIELD hospital rooms with a blanket wrapped around her. She was numb; Vanessa could not feel a thing on her body save for the hole in her heart. She was so overcome with the urge to cry but for right now, she was unable to do anything but stare at the wall blankly in front of her.

Loki was gone. He was never coming back.

When she was brought into the hospital wing, Vanessa was hysterical. Thor and Steve had to carry her in together while she sobbed and held tightly to Loki's scepter that he had left behind. There was a nurse that kept walking by; giving Vanessa sympathetic looks every time. Everyone in the wing simply thought Vanessa was severally traumatized by the battle. And maybe she was, but Vanessa felt more empty than anything else.

Heavy footsteps were coming close, but Vanessa didn't look towards the sound. She continued to stare blankly ahead. She knew it was Phil, but she didn't think she wanted to hear what he had to say. Vanessa didn't think she wanted to hear what anyone had to say ever again.

"The Counsel is going to need you to give a statement," he said gruffly. Phil didn't know what to say, but that was not it.

"Tough," Vanessa responded, her voice horse from crying. She stood abruptly. "I don't want anything to do with the Counsel," she shoved Loki's scepter into Phil's hands. "I assume you were going to take this back anyway."

"Vanessa—"

"Don't!" Vanessa felt the tears coming back again. "Just don't. Nothing you say is going to bring him back, Phil. He's gone!"

Phil sat down next to Vanessa and put an arm around her. "I was going to suggest you get some sleep. I would not want you talking to the Counsel anyway. I was just delivering a message."

Vanessa looked down, feeling a small shred of guilt. "I don't know if I can sleep."

"There is a sleeping pill waiting by your bedside table when you get back to your house. I would escort you back, but I am needed in a meeting."

Vanessa bobbed her head once and stood. Phil would be there later, she knew he would. Given everything that had happened, he would not want to leave Vanessa alone. They walked silently together through the halls of SHIELD, Vanessa tried her hardest to ignore the stares from others. She knew that most of them were taking in her beaten appearance. But Vanessa was afraid that right now, her grief was completely unmasked; she did not want random workers at SHIELD knowing her thoughts right now.

Some five minutes later, Phil said a goodbye; but Vanessa hardly heard him, she just kept walking. Soon, she was outside and walking along a path that lead into a small cluster of trees. The sun was shining brightly overhead now, mocking Vanessa, she had never hated the sun more.

As Vanessa began to walk through the trees a small cottage came into view. It had been built on SHILD property twenty-six years ago to house the organization's greatest project. It was the house Vanessa had grown up in, under the watchful eye of Director Fury and his most trusted agents all that time. More often than not, Phil had been the one to stay over night after night, making sure that a younger Vanessa Brown didn't do something stupid or the time was spent giving her extra tutoring sessions.

As Vanessa spent more time away on extended undercover missions, her time in the cottage was scarce. But even so, the sight of the place offered a small form of comfort in the agent's mind. She knew every nook and cranny of it. When she was younger, Vanessa had discovered all the locations of the cameras hidden in the house and destroyed them. That home had become a sanctuary to Vanessa, and she was eager to get inside and let whatever was left of her guard down.

Vanessa climbed the small steps of the porch and pulled a key from under the blue welcome mat and slipped the key into the slot. She pulled the rich brown door open and stuck her thumb onto a pad that came through a metal slot on the door behind the first. Vanessa leaned forward so her eye could also be scanned. There was a light beep and the metal door slid to the side, granting Vanessa access to her home for the first time in ages.

There was a fine layer of dust on all the surfaces, but otherwise, everything was the same as it had been since Vanessa had last been home. There was a long brown sofa sitting in the living room with a Persian rug underneath and a glass coffee table. On the wall adjacent to the sofa, a TV was mounted.

The whole cottage gave off a feel of autumn. Shades of brown, yellow, red, and orange were everywhere. The walls were red and several paintings hung there. Some, Vanessa had done herself but many had been gifts from others throughout the years. Her eyes found a black and white acrylic painting Vanessa had done years ago of Central Park. Normally, even the sight of her sanctuary had a calming affect on Vanessa. But today she wanted to rip it from its frame and smash the canvas against the walls.

She clenched her fists, refraining. And trudged up the stairs to the tiny second floor, it only had two rooms, her own and a bathroom. The pushed open the door to her room and nearly collapsed onto her bed. Her body was aching and bruised, her heart felt like it had been torn out, and Vanessa felt terrified of closing her eyes. If she fell asleep, what would she see?

Her eyes feel onto the sleeping pill sitting on her bedside table, just as Phil said it would. That pill would prevent her from dreaming. She scrambled to the table and swallowed the pill dry. It would begin to work in a few minutes, so Vanessa shut her door, pulled off her shoes and unmade her bed. Vanessa crawled into it and curled into a ball, shutting her eyes.

.

When she awoke, it was dark outside. Something felt wrong, but Vanessa's mind was too clouded from the sleeping pill to think clearly. She rolled over and felt wetness between her thighs. Curious, she sat up and ripped her covers off. She was bathed in blood. That was too much blood to be a result of her period, so Vanessa's first thought was that maybe one of her injuries had started bleeding.

Out of the corner of her eye, Vanessa spotted a manila envelope sitting on her nightstand. It had not been there hours before. Phil had come by, he was probably still in the house, going over case files.

Vanessa reached for the envelope and tore it open. It was her medical records from the treatment she had just received. She scanned the paper, looking for anything that might tell her which of her injuries might have started bleeding. When a line caught her eye. Vanessa felt her mouth dry and her heart started racing, her palms began to sweat and she read the line again.

_After receiving the results back we have found that Agent Vanessa Brown is in good health. We do however; recommend that she meet with someone in the Psyc. Department. Agent Brown has also tested positive for pregnancy._

Pregnant. She was pregnant. How? All female SHEILD agents were required to take birth control and Vanessa hadn't missed a day in years. Slowly, Vanessa looked back down to her lap and her blood stained sheets.

Slowly, realization dawned on her and Vanessa's eyes went wide with horror. Before she could stop herself, she let out a noise somewhere between a sob and a horrified scream before new tears started pouring down her face.

Phil burst into the room and his frantic eyes took in the blood, the medical file and Vanessa sobbing. He didn't say anything but instead he took Vanessa into his arms and started dragging her out of bed. It was like carrying a dead person, Vanessa had no will to even try and help him.

"No…no," she sobbed.

"Sh," Phil tried to soothe.

He knew she had been pregnant. He was probably one of the first that had been notified. Vanessa knew that news like that would immediately be sent to Fury and Fury would not hesitate in telling Phil.

"Vanessa, please."

Somehow, Vanessa got her legs working, and she allowed Phil to guide her to the bathroom across the hall. His face was full of concern and…was it pity? But Vanessa could not bear looking at him any longer. She shut and locked the door before going to turn on the shower.

With trembling hands, Vanessa started removing her clothes. She tried to avoid any part that had been touched by blood. She stared at her naked body in the mirror and was repulsed. Her eyes were read and blotchy with tears, stitches were in her thigh from when she had stabbed herself with Clint's arrow. There were various bruises and cuts all over—primarily on her stomach. Then there were the bruises around her neck from The Other and the cuts there from both Clint and The Other.

A fresh wave of repulsion coursed through Vanessa as her eyes fell on the blood; her child's blood. She looked away quickly and practically leapt into the shower. The hot water pounded her back, stinging her skin, but Vanessa didn't bother to change the temperature. Instead she hugged herself and sat down on the shower floor.

She could not have been pregnant much longer than a month. If she had known, would she have told Loki? Would she have waded into the war? She didn't know the answer to either question. She did know that if Loki was still alive, she would have been terrified of being pregnant. That would have put her job on hold, and she always feared that maybe SHEILD would take any child she might have and raise it as a weapon, just as she was. She had resolved a long time ago that she would not have kids. But now? Now things were different. That unborn child had been a piece of Loki. If she had not lost it, Vanessa would have run away and tried to raise it on her own. She would have changed her identity, anything to keep the child safe. But the baby was gone just as Loki now was. There was no getting either back, no matter how hard she wished for it.

Vanessa stood and started scrubbing her body clean, suddenly wanting to be rid of all evidence of this new wound. She suddenly wanted nothing more than to forget. To forget Loki, forget that she had just lost his child, to forget everything. She wanted to be unfeeling and mindless. Surly, that would be better?

"…_There is life inside you…"_

The cold, cruel voice of The Other floated across Vanessa's mind. She felt chills run through her body.

"Oh, God…" she whispered to herself, horrified.

The Other had known. He had somehow known that she had been pregnant. That was what he was referring to when he told her she had life inside. He hadn't meant that she was strong, but that Vanessa was actually carrying a life inside of her. He had pressed his hands against her stomach, not to suffocate her, but to try and squeeze the baby out.

She never wanted to feel anything ever again.

.

The next two days, Vanessa wandered around in an almost trance-like daze. She remembered meeting with Fury hours after the miscarriage to discuss her failed pregnancy. She remembered being difficult and refusing to give up information. She remembered meeting with a SHEILD therapist, but never once had she said anything. But mostly, she remembered Phil. He never left her alone in her house. He never pressed her to talk, he made sure Vanessa ate and he was her comfort.

But Vanessa had to return to Stark Tower. So, two days after, she found herself in her old room packing up the few belongings she had kept there to bring back to her house. Pepper had offered her tea, but the cup sat on the dresser, full and getting cold. It took a few minutes to pack up her few belongings and then Vanessa was out of the room, leaving the tea behind.

She wandered around, careful to avoid any areas of Stark Towers that might be playing host to the Avengers and, as of a few days ago, Steve Roger's friend, Bucky, who was now allowed to spend time with his friend now that the Avengers were no longer under lockdown.

Vanessa found herself wandering into Loki's old room. She had expected it to be left exactly as he had always left it. But the sheets had been removed from the bed and folded at the foot. His clothes had also been folded and stacked neatly on the dresser with a note on top. Breathing heavily, Vanessa went and picked up the thin sheet of paper.

_Sorry I could not clear out everything on my own, Ms. Potts. This was the best I could manage. Sorry if I folded the sheets wrong. Thank you for your kindness._

_-L_

There were the tears again, bubbling to the surface. Vanessa blinked rapidly, trying not to think about the fact that Loki had touched this paper, and written those words. He knew he was going to his death and was doing whatever he could before hand to make things easier for those who would have to clean up after he was gone.

"Vanessa?"

She quickly wiped her eyes and turned, to find Thor standing in the doorway.

"Oh, hey, Thor," she muttered. Her voice sounded dead.

"May I speak with you a minute?"

"Oh," Vanessa glanced around the room before nodding, "sure."

Thor shut the door and then sat on the bed. He motioned for Vanessa to sit down next to him and she obliged. What would he possibly want with her?

"I was asked to give you this," Thor pulled out a small pouch from his pockets and held it out. Vanessa stared at it, shaking her head. It held the three Infinity Gems she had stolen. She had forgotten all about them.

"No," she said. "No, I don't want them. Too much power."

"It is too much of a temptation for me, Vanessa. And Loki made me promise that I hand them back over to you. You should be the keeper of these."

Her head snapped up, puzzled. "You know what these are?"

Thor nodded. "Loki let me know what he was planning a few days ago and filled me in on everything before handing over the gems to me. He wanted me to promise that you were given these back."

"_Is that your—"_

"_Yes, now come on…"_

Vanessa had overheard the last bit of that conversation Loki had with Thor. If she had been just a few minutes earlier, she could have knows what he was planning. She could have stopped him. She bowed her head, feeling like a failure.

"He wanted this," Thor said gently. "This was, to him, the only way to redeem himself."

So nodded numbly. She had lost him and she had lost the child he helped to create. What good was she?

"There is something else I must ask," Thor started carefully.

"What?"

"We are returning to Asgard on the morrow. There will be a mourning ceremony for Loki when we get back. I wanted to know if you would join us in that? You were the first person to give him a chance, he would want you there."

But would he? Would Loki really have wanted her there? Vanessa knew how Asgardians mourned. They ate and laughed; telling stories of the fallen's life. So many of those that would be in attendance would be people who cared little for Loki. So many of them did not truly know him like Vanessa had. She would hate her time there and she would be fighting to urge to not shout and scream at everyone who was there, pretending like they loved the dead Asgardian prince. She shook her head.

"I can't, Thor. I'm sorry. I just…it would be too hard."

If he was disappointed, he did not show it. "I understand. Should you change your mind, I will be with Sif and the Warriors Three outside at the top of this tower tomorrow at noon."

"Thank you," she offered softly. "I am sorry."

"Do not be sorry, I understand." He squeezed her shoulder and left the room.

She returned to her own home shortly after, taking the clothes Loki had packed so neatly. Then for the remainder of the day, Vanessa wandered from room to room as if in a trance. She would sit down or pace and Loki occupied all her thoughts. She went from guilt to grief in seconds.

Never before had Vanessa felt like she had lost everything. She had no idea how to deal with it. She had lost Loki, _her_ Loki and hours later; she had lost _their_ child. A child she could have loved with everything she had left. A child that she would do right by, and raise as normally as she possibly could. She would have told the child stories of its father; of how he loved a good prank, how he could be the most charming man in the room, the most deceptive and the most brave.

He had sacrificed his life so that the Earth could buy a little more time to prepare. He had fully redeemed himself but hardly anyone would ever know.

**Manhattan-New York, New York**

The sun was blinding. Vanessa rummaged in her bag for a pair of sunglasses while taking in her surroundings critically. She knew she was not in any danger at the moment; but Vanessa could never turn off the spy in her. She found her sunglasses and slid them on blending in completely with everyone else in New York.

Clean up in the city had been going on for a week now. Stark Industries was the face of it all, promising to help take care of all the damage done and offering the best technology to speed up the process.

There were less news vans, less government protesters, and less people laying down things for shrines of the fallen and for the mysterious Avengers. But there was still a few. Some just quietly set flowers or cards or posters down and left. But then there were others whose eyes went over the faces of the fallen with tears in their eyes. Some who turned their faces towards the sky, well aware that Earth was not alone.

But it was a small child that caught Vanessa's attention. She went to sit down on a bench a safe distance away, pulled her sketchbook from her bag, her charcoal, and flipped to a clean page. She had been drawing Loki on every page for days. Sometimes, she added her faceless child. But this living child was inspiring.

He sat on the sidewalk with his nanny, drawing with chalk. He drew the sun, flowers, and grass, anything that represented the good in the world. And so Vanessa drew him. She drew the people who were careful not to tread on him and the nanny; she drew those that had paused to watch for a moment or two. Eventually, the picture grew. The boy remained the focus, but Vanessa drew the rebuilding and the mourners all around him. That child was like a tiny beacon of hope and it was because of him that Vanessa found herself smiling for the first time in a week.

She felt empty without Loki, but maybe it would not always be that way? Maybe she would learn to live without him. Maybe she would think of him and feel happy for the time they had, instead of feeling like a bullet had torn through her heart. One day she would feel normal as she went about her daily habits. Not today, but the child gave her a small light of hope that things would get better. One day, Vanessa could feel as though Loki was all around her and not want to cry. She would instead smile, knowing that he was somehow still with her. But that was not today. Not yet.

.

_There was no such thing as the Fates. Every being in the Universe was responsible for their own choices and actions. But there were a few whose lives were woven together. People who were destined to meet but their choices would be their own. Those few had a set destiny if they chose correctly. _

_Once, many, many years ago a goddess had made a choice that shattered the destinies of many others. She was to be the one thread that wove people together and because of her, in small indirect ways, many prophecies would come to pass. But she had taken her life and had unwoven the fabric that would have held so many together. _

_Eternity had wept for the Woman and for her Lover. Eternity had wept for the destinies that would now have no meaning, which would no longer come to pass. So she did what no one else could._

_She defied her sister, Death._

_Working quickly she wove the Woman back into time, to live again and have another chance to bring so many together. The Woman would again have the chance to be a symbol of love, of hope, of compassion and of loyalty. _

_The Woman was born again centuries later in a cemetery in London. She was born where the presence of Death was felt the strongest. The Woman would be tightly bound with Death from that moment on. She would live, toeing the line and she would have to make choices that either shattered her destiny forever, or put her one more step close to it. _

_She had come into the world quickly. Her mother hardly having time to gasp in pain, her father scrambling to find some sort of help. She had come early and had come with minor complications. Eternity had swooped down then and kissed the baby, blessing her; giving her just enough strength to live. From that moment on, the Woman's road would be hard. She would have to rely on herself to make it through. And for the first twenty-five years, she had done fairly well._

_But now the Woman was losing her way._

_Once again, Eternity worked to bring the woman back onto the path. She pulled a scene from across space and planted it in the Woman's dreams. Her Lover lay, broken and tormented by his own mind and hallucinations. The Titian had been_ _most_ _displeased by the Lover's deception and was now making him pay dearly for it. But he was alive and breathing. _

_The Lover could not escape the clutches of evil without help. Not without light. But he was trapped in a world where light did not extend. Any light that had ventured near the world had been put out before it could ignite everything around it. The Lover needed the Woman to find him and pull him out. _

_So Eternity sent these visions to the Woman in her dreams. Each one grew more terrible but they slipped away from the Woman each time she woke. Eternity grew more desperate, more determined. If the Woman never saw, the Lover would perish. He would become something more evil and twisted than the Universe had ever known._

_Finally, there was a break through. _

_The Woman lay in bed, tormented by the vision of the Lover lying broken, near Death. Eternity pushed harder, adding her own horrors to make the Woman see. She needed to see. _

"_Wake up, Lady Victory."_

And she did. The Woman sat up in bed, her eyes wild and haunted. She was sweating, her heart thumping madly, her body shaking with fear and grief. Tears were falling from her eyes, but she hardly noticed. There was only one thing that mattered.

"He's alive."

**Þangað til næst**

**Author's Note**

So…that's it. This story has officially been finished. I cannot thank you all enough for the support you have given me throughout this. It means so much to me! I never expected the response I have received from this. Your feedback and reactions made writing this and planning the sequel much more fun. It has truly and honestly been a delight.

I will have the title of the sequel up on my tumblr, the url is seven-devils-fiction. I expect to have the first chapter of that up sometime next month. And I am so excited to hear the response from you all when it does go up.

Please, leave a review. I want to hear from all of you who always leave one, all of you who have occasionally left one, and all of you who have never left one. I want to know your thoughts on this entire story. This has been amazing fun.

Oh, and, "Þangað til næst" means, "Until Next Time" in Icelandic.

Until next time, guys.

Cheers!


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